I have always wondered why no one holds television responsible for planting the seeds that lead to mental illness and misery. I personally think television is horrible for the psyche, primarily because it presents unattainable fantasy lifestyles as reality. However, people are so emotionally attached to their televisions that it seems you would receive a warmer reception insulting someone's mother then questioning television in general. Does anybody have any idea as to why the need for escapism such a fundamental part of American culture?

I have always thought there was some connection between television and ADHD. It seems to me that spending extended periods of time in front of hyper-stimulating television shows when your brain is still developing can be nothing but damaging to young minds. There is evidence to back this up: "Early television viewing is associated with the subsequent development of problems with attention regulation" quoted from the Conclusion at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/120/5/986

Interesting blog, keep up the good work!

Wow Mr. Fischoff, amazing, I actually agree with
you!

Personally, I do think though that this meta-study
is *very* valuable and worth doing. To you The
conclusions were obvious, but not to most people.
You, after all, are an Emeritus Professor of Media
Psychology, so you are very familiar with the many,
many studies linking TV with a host of negative
behaviors. Most people, on the other hand, have
not studied the subject. And, of course, corporate
media holders have used their extensive media
expertise to give people the impression that
TV (even in huge amounts) is healthy, harmless,
and educational.

Here's a link to the New York Times article
about the study:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/02/arts/02stud.html

And more on TV and obesity:

http://www.tvsmarter.com/documents/obesity.html

I refer all readers and commentists to an invited address I gave to the annual convention of the American Psychological Association a few years ago. It lays out in detail my thoughts and arguments regarding media and violence and related behaviors.

http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfischo/violence.html

Virtually all "unhealthy" behaviors regarding media relate to excessive use. This applies to adults as well as teens and children. As a rule of thumb, excessive use of any media...of any thing or anything for that matter,even so-called positive addictions, has an underlying tension or motive and it's also that motive that needs to be addressed, not the behavioral excess alone. Physiological-psychological addictions to drugs, nicotine, sex, exercise, etc., I consider more complex health problems that go beyond the pale of what I'm discussing here. Please read part 2 of this blog in a few days and see if it resolves any issues you (we) have on the subject.