The average American between the ages of 18 and 24 watches around 23 hours of TV a week. For my whole life I was told that TV makes you stupid, and being away at college, having unlimited access to Netflix while trying to balance schoolwork, I was hoping this isn’t true, so I decided to research the subject. There are lots of conflicting reports, so it’s hard to say if TV makes you smarter or more stupid for sure, but there are definitely arguments for both sides. The argument for stupidity comes from a study conducted at Ohio State University, in which preschool aged kids with TV’s in their rooms, or TV’s in their houses that were left on often, were given assessments on mental and emotional development. Researchers found that these children weren’t growing emotionally at the rate they should be, and that they lacked “theory of mind” which is the ability to realize that not everyone has the same opinions and views as you. This shows that even having a TV on as background noise can impact people without them realizing it. Many people are also quick to point fingers at “mindless” reality shows such as Keeping Up With the Kardashians, or The Bachelor, claiming they make people stupid due to their lack of substance. There is no proof that listening to Kim Kardashian complain is directly linked to lowering your IQ, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
The argument that TV makes you smarter is that if you don’t grow up in an intellectually stimulating home, TV would do more good for you than anything else. Children with non-stimulating family lives can use TV to build their vocabulary, learn how to better interact with people, or watch educational programming. There are also studies to show that kids who watch TV in their free time have higher reading achievement scores, which are directly related to higher IQ scores. It’s hard to get a solid answer on the question of TV making you stupid because there are so many factors that need to be taken into account. Personally I don’t think TV makes people stupid, I think the 23 hours a week spent on TV could be put to good use doing other things.
Sources:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-beast/200903/does-watching-tv-make-us-stupid
http://www.salon.com/2013/11/24/yes_television_makes_you_stupid_partner/
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/average-american-watches-5-hours-tv-day-article-1.1711954
Especially what is on TV nowadays, TV can definitely make you stupider. It depends on the shows you watch for example. Informative show and history channels could actually benefit you. Although there is netflix, that a lot of college students use, many other college students do not use that. I am one of those students. I feel like there is not enough time in a day for me to even watch a minute of TV for enjoyment.
This article is really interesting. I feel some people who watch too much TV and watch non beneficial shows aren’t necessarily becoming stupid, but they can be using this time to do more educational or beneficial activities. It definitely depends on your home, what your watching, and how much TV your watching. In some instance like you said, TV can make you smarter. For example, my cousins in Puerto Rico who only spoke Spanish in the past, learned most of their English watching TV shows where people only spoke English. Some people also watch very informative channels like Discovery Channel or a cooking channel, in which they can absorb knowledge or skills on a particular subject. I feel the effects of TV on a person depend on how they use it.
I definitely have to agree with you, I feel as though TV does not make a person smarter or dumber. However, I feel as though TV can have its negative and positive affects on people as a whole. For one who is interested in learning a different language, it becomes more beneficial to watch a variety of TV shows in that language to allow the brain to become exposed to certain pronunciations and slang words or phases that are popular in that certain language. I think this becomes more helpful as oppose to reading a book with vocabulary words in that language and trying to learn how to use those words in a sentence properly. Also, TV can become useful when one is trying to stay connected with the world by watching the news or even the history channel to learn a variety of information. As for children, TV shows can allow there minds to critical think and expose them to real life problems when growing up, even expand their vocabulary. Various shows today are even made for children to get an educational background in some sort of fun aspect. Going off of this, I found a link to further demonstrate the benefits of TV now a days! http://www.livestrong.com/article/118554-advantages-children-watch-tv/
I definitely have to agree with you, I feel as though TV does not make a person smarter or dumber. However, I feel as though TV can have its negative and positive affects on people as a whole. For one who is interested in learning a different language, it becomes more beneficial to watch a variety of TV shows in that language to allow the brain to become exposed to certain pronunciations and slang words or phases that are popular in that certain language. I think this becomes more helpful as oppose to reading a book with vocabulary words in that language and trying to learn how to use those words in a sentence properly. Also, TV can become useful when one is trying to stay connected with the world by watching the news or even the history channel to learn a variety of information. As for children, TV shows can allow there minds to critical think and expose them to real life problems when growing up, even expand their vocabulary. Various shows today are even made for children to get an educational background in some sort of fun aspect. Going off of this, I found a link to further demonstrate the benefits of <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/118554-advantages-children-watch-tv/"TV now days!
I don’t believe that watching television necessarily corresponds to stupidity. In fact, watching different types of television could be academically and intellectually beneficial! Channels that have “how to” shows or documentaries on them are provided to teach the viewers. On the other hand, reality TV shows that have no educational purpose or aspect to them are just shown for entertainment purposes. Watching these shows could potentially make you procrastinate from doing other work, and in that sense would be intellectually detrimental. But in the end, I believe that the environment you are nurtured in effects your intellect or “stupidity”.
I really don’t think T.V’s make you stupid. With that being said I don’t sleep with the T.V on. If there is a 0.01% that T.V can make you stupid when you turn it on at night, then before I sleep I turn it of. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop watching T.V, but I’ll do the simplest things such as turing off the T.V before I sleep just to avoid the risk.
What makes people think T.V makes you stupid?
Is it the radiation?
Is it the things that’s played on the T.V?
Or What Exactly?
I agree that TV doesn’t make a person smarter or dumber. I do believe that TV can have somewhat addictive qualities. When I was younger I watched a lot of TV, and even when shows I like would end, and others would come on that I disliked, I found myself watching them anyway. Some people watch so much TV that they feel like they need to watch in order to keep themselves entertained, even if they hate it. With this in mind, people who are addicted to watching TV take up their time watching, and especially kids, will watch TV rather than study, which will not benefit them. TV is not what makes a person stupid, it’s that it consumes their time in which they could be using to do other more productive and beneficial things.
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/16/science/how-viewers-grow-addicted-to-television.html