Unhappy people watch TV, happy people read/socialize

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/unhappy-people-watch-tv-happy-people-readsocialize-17794.html

by alex_c • 18 years ago

41 35 18 years ago

LPTS10• 18 years ago

TV is evil and will turn you into a zombi...

sorry I remembered Heroes and house was on the tivo. Those shows are good. I forgot what I was thinking. Must watch more TV. TV... Must see... No... I must see it...

jodrellblank2• 18 years ago

Zombies want brains, zombies eat brains. Zombies are probably quite happy, if only you could ask them without being eaten.

LPTS10• 18 years ago

mmm...brains...

matt12• 18 years ago

In the first paragraph the author suggest correlation:

"A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing."

But in the next paragraph makes the cause -> effect leap:

"Analyzing 30-years worth of national data from time-use studies and a continuing series of social attitude surveys, the Maryland researchers report that spending time watching television may contribute to viewers' happiness in the moment, with less positive effects in the long run."

I'm not sure what the actual study says, but in my experience it's very much a correlation: unhappy people watch large amounts of TV to escape reality.

axod7• 18 years ago

Unhappy people also turn to drink. That doesn't mean we should all stop drinking.

Everything in moderation. Also I think we should quantify this... "US TV" is in no way related to say "UK TV". Just look at something like question time/newsnight/top gear/etc etc

LPTS10• 18 years ago

I think you need brain scans to validate your claim about us and uk tv. I think those scans will show that the brain responds the same to uk and us tv.

matt12• 18 years ago

No, nor does it mean that everyone should stop watching TV.

Just too much TV or too much drinking is usually a symptom of some larger personal issue.

tlrobinson• 18 years ago

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28694

mamama• 18 years ago

LPTS10• 18 years ago

I'm that guy too. I hate TV.

Except heroes and house. Ohhh. The daily show. Colbert Report. Gotta catch south park and sarah silverman. Six feet under was pretty good, too...

Other then that TV sucks. I watch TV shows, but have no TV. The trick is to download your tv from the internet so you can dodge the ads concentrated power scientifically calibrate to manipulate you, and still get a dose of culture and electronic sedation.

kqr2• 18 years ago

I think "happy" people may just be busier and not have enough free time.

I think there are some good TV shows, but my todo list keeps me busy.

The real question though: Do happy people read news.ycombinator.com? :-)

rokhayakebe• 18 years ago

What about people who consume media online? Watching TV all day is not different from watching Youtube videos all day.

LPTS10• 18 years ago

"The medium is the message."

In one case, your reality is being programmed. In the other, you are programming it.

Watching TV is different from watching youtube. "The medium is the message."

axod7• 18 years ago

Have you found the "Select channel" button on your TV?

maw• 18 years ago

I get the same feeling of malaise after watching too much youtube as I do when watching too much traditional television.

skmurphy• 18 years ago

Very few commercials on YouTube, which I think are a source of a lot of the discontent.

bilbo0s• 18 years ago

I must be one of the least happy people on the planet, because I LOVE to watch movies!

Maybe I would have discovered my unhappiness earlier if I hadn't split my side laughing when C-Bass cornered Lloyd in that gas station bathroom stall. Or if I hadn't gazed in humor and a twisted respect when Captain Reno declared himself "SHOCKED!!! SHOCKED to discover there is gambling going on..." in Rick's Cafe. Or . . . oh well, you get the picture.

scumola• 18 years ago

That's because most of the TV shows suck nowadays. It's not that unhappy people watch TV, TV makes people unhappy because of the crappy programming!

MrRage• 18 years ago

Yeah, most shows suck. But there are many, many shows on lots of channels. There are shows worth watching, though. There are some TV shows, IMO, that are works of art, rivialing some of the great movies out there.

louislouis• 18 years ago

Hang on, if you're unhappy, you're obviously not going to go out socializing cos nobody wants to talk to a miserable face and alcohol will only amplify the unhappiness.

When I'm unhappy I like to be on my own and ride it out, watch tv shows online to cheer me up. So TV shows make me happy not TV makes me unhappy.

Open Question: How many hours of TV do you watch per week? I'm on around 3hrs (Heroes, Prison Break, Entourage) but all my shows are watched online without the silly commercials.

sutro• 18 years ago

I wonder if there's a corollary: happy hackers hack; unhappy hackers read Hacker News.

(Goodbye, comment. I expect to see you disappear into the background under a barrage of downmods within a matter of minutes.)

bkbleikamp• 18 years ago

Don't be so pessimistic :) The comment is a) an interesting point and b) funny.

Unhappy people watch TV, happy people read/socialize

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