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As many studies do, it sounds kind of no-duh at first blush — but according to a new study by sociologists from the University of Maryland, unhappy people spend a lot more time watching television than happy people do. Surprised? No, I wasn’t either; but it’s thought-provoking to see this idea reflected in the sober light of a scientific study. And it makes me think about my own habits — how much do I watch?
Let’s see — I can’t get enough of Mad Men or The Daily Show, I’ve been watching Olbermann a few times a week since a month before the election (though less so as political news gets less hot-n-heavy), I’ve inherited a guilty passion for Kitchen Nightmares from my wife and I always check out 60 Minutes and SNL weekly. When Colbert makes an appearance on my TiVo, I check him out too. I guess that’s about it. But then there are the movies I watch and whatever internet-based video I consume in a day, which is difficult to measure since it comes in such fits and starts.
Does that make me a less happy person than someone who watches zero hours of TV per week? Probably not — it’s so subjective. But it does make me think that if I found a way to fill up the remainder of my free time with television-watching, it would be indicative of some gnawing emotional issue that needed resolution (and that the TV-watching was helping me to avoid).
While most large studies on happiness have focused on the demographic characteristics of happy people — factors like age and marital status — Dr. Robinson and his colleagues tried to identify what activities happy people engage in. The study relied primarily on the responses of 45,000 Americans collected over 35 years by the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, and on published “time diary” studies recording the daily activities of participants.
“We looked at 8 to 10 activities that happy people engage in, and for each one, the people who did the activities more — visiting others, going to church, all those things — were more happy,” Dr. Robinson said. “TV was the one activity that showed a negative relationship. Unhappy people did it more, and happy people did it less.”
But the researchers could not tell whether unhappy people watch more television or whether being glued to the set is what makes people unhappy. “I don’t know that turning off the TV will make you more happy,” Dr. Robinson said. Still, he said, the data show that people who spend the most time watching television are least happy in the long run. [link]
What do you think — when does TV-watching transition from a legitimate activity to an emotional crutch?
Comments (20)
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If they did this study with any activity that didn’t require interaction, they would probably find the people who did not interact with others were the least happy. It has nothing to do with television specifically–it’s the fact that human interaction isn’t present that makes people unhappy.
posted by Erin on 11-24-2008 at 8:09 am
TV doesn’t make you unhappy, but if you are already unhappy, you are likely to be holed up in your house with the TV on. Watching tv takes the least amount of effort. Unhappy people don’t want to put forth effort at anything. They don’t want to be around people, where they are held accountable for being miserable.
So, unhappy people stay at home doing the least amount possible around the least amount of people watching other unhappy people on tv.
posted by Karen on 11-24-2008 at 8:16 am
I’d have to say I’m a complete TV baby and to the best of my knowledge, I’m happy! I watch A LOT of TV – at least six hours a day, if I can squeeze it in. I watch it during lunch, when I get home, and after dinner before I go to bed on weekdays. Weekends, if I don’t have anything pressing, I’m catching up on my shows. I’m not filling in the void – I just love TV. I don’t see anything wrong with that. I wonder if it’s the *kind* of TV you watch. Maybe unhappy people watch a certain type of show?
posted by Anna on 11-24-2008 at 8:17 am
It depends for me. I work nights so I have a lot of spare time, which I will sometimes fill with TV. I can’t just surf the tube though, I have to watch an entire season. I recently watched all of Arrested Development which was great, and am now working through Mad Men which is fantastic.
I do think the social factor probably kicks in though. My roomates and I used to watch the LOST DVDs for hours over the weekends; we would literally spend 6 hours watching episodes. But we did it as a group and it was pretty fun. Now that I work nights I definately miss that factor of it, but I still enjoy TV, just like I enjoy books and music. It is all a story, just a different medium for each one.
posted by Doug on 11-24-2008 at 9:07 am
My hypothesis is that TV does not make you unhappy, especially if it is used as a device for social interaction (ie everyone comes over to watch a game together). However, if people are unhappy (read: depressed) they may be avoiding responsibility and social interactions. TV makes for a convenient outlet to sit and turn off your brain and not think about all the things you *should* be doing or how much you owe, etc.
posted by Bri on 11-24-2008 at 9:10 am
I think Erin makes an excellent point.
The only thing I watch is the DVD I’ve got from Netflix. I don’t have cable. I can’t imagine having the TV on all the time drowning out conversation and intelligent thought.
Most TV watching is not social even if there are other people around (something like sports excepted.)
I avoid visiting people who can’t turn the TV off. If I’m not worthy of their undivided attention then I’d rather be alone.
These days I can’t imagine where I’d make the time in my life to waste on TV. Even when I don’t have obligations there are more meaningful ways to spend time.
posted by BassMan on 11-24-2008 at 10:03 am
i think part of this could also be from advertising. these companies spend billions of dollars to make you feel that what you have is inadequate. they want you to feel unhappy so you’ll go out and buy their product because according to their commercials, that’s what will make you happy.
posted by ga on 11-24-2008 at 10:13 am
Does the study make a distinction between actively watching TV and just having the TV on? Since I was little, my family has kept a TV on primarily as background noise. I’ll have the TV on while working online, working out, even when I’m reading. And I agree with several of the comments related to watching TV as a social activity rather than a solo one.
When TV becomes something you obsessively choose over other activities that you enjoy (or once enjoyed), I think that’s when you have to start looking at it as a problem. Anytime an activity transitions from a “want” to a “need”, it’s time to evaluate why you feel you need it.
posted by Chelsea on 11-24-2008 at 10:41 am
Would one of those “more meaningful ways to spend time” include patting yourself on the back for not watching TV?
I watch a fair amount of TV, but rarely choose TV watching over hanging out with people. I think television can be a great topic of conversation that enhances relationships. I was at an ultimate tournament this weeking, and had several good laughs recalling Toby’s return to “The Office” last week. My fiance and I talk and laugh while watching TV.
I feel like replacing face to face interactions with TV, the internet, and video games is where you run into real problems.
posted by Chris on 11-24-2008 at 10:46 am
Being disabled keeps me in and alone most of the time. It’s not a wheelchair situation, it is much too complicated to go into now. However I am married and we both carry on conversations, read books, knit(me), write letters (how antiquated). I even make my own cards to write on and communicate as far away as Copenhagen, Denmark, all while the TV is on. I have come to terms with my limitations and find TV background sound soothing and enjoyable. I rarely watch it in the day, except for a couple of shows, but we are sports fans, love HGTV and the Food Network, and movies. And, gee, we are happy people. My friends all seem to have their TVs on when I visit and it doesn’t detract a bit from our conversations. So I can’t see where watching TV equates to unhappiness. I would think it would be just the opposite.
posted by Mary Kelly on 11-24-2008 at 10:57 am
I tend to watch more TV in the winter because I hate going out in the cold. I do get a bit down. And there is always a point sometime in the winter when I feel literally sick and I know it’s because I’ve been watching too much TV. I definitely see TV and depression as linked.
posted by Rhea on 11-24-2008 at 11:51 am
I think Ga has it right — advertising, however subtly, is aimed at making you feel inadequate and dissatisfied with your lot. Another no-duh study showed that people who watch a lot of TV wildly over-estimate the actual crime rate in the nation, while people who watch little and make their guesses based on what they see in their real world, are much closer to the actual rate. To use an academic term, we seem to privilege what we see on TV over what we actually live in our own lives.
If you’re visiting friends and the TV is on, how much attention are you really paying those friends? If it’s 100%, why is the TV on at all? And if it’s less than 100%, why bother visiting? Our full, undivided attention is a gift — a gift we give to others, and a gift we give to ourselves.
There’s nothing inherently bad about TV — I’ve seen some fantastic stuff on it, like PBS’s recent “God on Trial” and the election returns this month. But I’ve also heard teen mothers complaining that there’s no money for bills and never once consider that they could maybe give up their top-tier cable package. It’s so embedded in their worlds that they cannot imagine entertaining themselves without it, at the expense of their financial security.
Me, I’m an appointment viewer. If something’s coming on that I want to see, I turn the TV on, watch it until it’s over, then turn it off. I cut my viewing back to my three favorite things to watch while I was researching and writing my first book last year, and now that I’ve finished and gotten used to that, I enjoy what I watch, but can’t stand just surfing around looking for something good. I’ve got almost 500 books on a shelves right next to my chair — I’d rather surf in there. And if I watched hours of TV a day, I doubt seriously that I would have managed to become a published author. I’d rather do more with my hours than spend them watching other people be creative.
posted by Southern Buddhist on 11-24-2008 at 11:58 am
People that watch more TV are more unhappy than the people who doesn’t watch that much. What about the people that like to play games like Second Life? That is something worth discussing about.
posted by Yessika on 11-24-2008 at 12:03 pm
“Would one of those “more meaningful ways to spend time” include patting yourself on the back for not watching TV?”
Someone feels superior. (Hint: It ain’t me.)
posted by BassMan on 11-24-2008 at 1:19 pm
TV Turn Off Week sites have been talking about the bad effects of TV watching for a while now.
As a former TV watch-aholic, though, for me it started, in part, because I wanted to substitute the happy, entertaining, uncomplicated people I saw on my TV shows in for the sad, angry, unstable people that surrounded me in my own life (co-workers, family, post-9/11 world, etc.). I lived alone and fooled myself into thinking I was controlling what vibes got in.
Without actually having to socially contribute, though, it was never quite satisfying, and I believe it literally got to be an addiction. Is there an associated study of various types of addicts to see which one is happier? : )
More seriously, I wonder how do activities like World of Warcraft and video games compare to TV?
posted by E on 11-24-2008 at 2:29 pm
As someone who loves both TV and World of Warcraft, I think they are both fine, *in moderation*. If that’s how you unwind at the end of the day, what is wrong with it? My fiance and I both play, so it’s not like we avoid all social interaction by gaming. It’s just what we do, if we’re happy and healthy, what does it matter to anyone else? I read books, I have friends, I also happen to like watching TV and gaming some.
As for happiness and TV watching, when I was single I definitely watched a LOT more TV and was a lot more into what I was watching than I am now. Now I find myself spending more time planning a wedding and less time watching them on TV.
posted by Bug on 11-24-2008 at 3:01 pm
According to my mom, my dad was a TV-aholic when they got married. While his bride went to bed early, my dad stayed up to watch the late shows. The TV was on as soon as he got home and didn’t go off until late. Then Dad was stationed in Germany where we lived in a tiny town with only a few German TV channels. We took long walks, visited open air markets, traveled to nearby cities and countries, played games, and made lots of friends (I was a fairly young participant in these events).
When we returned to the US four years later, the spell was broken, plus after four years away, the TV content seemed more crass and the commercials sent my parents into culture shock. We’ve always had a TV, and I enjoyed growing up on PBS educational shows, but its place in our life was minimal. We read together in the evenings and played games, among many other things.
Now when I’m in a home where the TV plays constantly, it makes me a little sad. It is a poor replacement for quiet conversation, contemplation, and a mirad of engaging activities that we have the ability to be a part of here in America.
posted by Andrea on 11-24-2008 at 4:57 pm
Hmm, well I watch no tv and I’m a happy person. But I wouldn’t say that’s the reason. I’m happiest when I’m busiest, getting stuff done that needs doing and when I’m with my family. I’m a people person. I’d have to agree with the comment about human interaction. Of course, you can’t be busy or ‘interacting’ all the time… I just happen to prefer reading to tv.
Also, if there is a correlation between happiness and how much tv someone watches, I wonder if it also has something to do with the sense that ‘I should be doing something else/I’m wasting time’- and there’s a lot of other time wasters that make you feel the same way. Just my guess. It’s our perception of what we should do/not do that also influences our happiness.
posted by ann on 11-24-2008 at 5:29 pm
My family watches anywhere from 0-4 hours of TV a week. I have a 4 year old, and I find that when she watches TV, her attitude is TERRIBLE. In my humble opinion, the crap that they put on TV is one of the main causes of the problems with our youth today. My little brother Josh has a shirt that says “Kill Your Radio”. I need one that says “Kill Your TV”.
posted by Jack-O-Leen on 11-25-2008 at 9:54 am
I’ve always wondered a couple of things about people who have the TV on “just for sound.”
1) Are they afraid to be alone with their own thoughts?
2) If it’s truly on “just for noise,” why is it always tuned to a channel they like?
posted by Southern Buddhist on 11-25-2008 at 12:21 pm