“TV will never be a serious competitor for radio because people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn’t time for it.” – Author Unknown, from New York Times, 1939
Life is meant to be lived, not watched. To get started living your own life rather than watching others live theirs, consider its impact on your life.
Ten Reasons to Watch Less Television
1. It is influencing your worldview. Anybody who has ever been a policeman, a lawyer, a psychiatrist, an ER doctor, or an FBI agent will attest to the truth that television does not accurately portray their life. In almost all aspects, television rarely depicts the world and life accurately. Too much television results in disillusionment about what to expect from the world around us. This can most commonly be seen in people’s expectations of love, romance, and sexuality.
2. It is influencing your spending habits. If you think you are immune (or too smart) to be influenced by the power of advertisements, you are wrong. Corporations do not spend trillions of dollars in advertising hoping to influence you. They spend trillions of dollars because they know they will influence you.
3. It is taking you away from the real people all around you. The characters on television are not real. They are thought up in an office building and given life on a piece of paper. In contrast, you are surrounded every day by real people living real lives. These real people are facing real problems. They need you. And you need them. Limit your kids’ screen time.
4. It is robbing you of precious mental energy. When your television is on, your concentration is held hostage. Your mental energy is drawn into the screen and your ability to control it is given up.
5. It is costing you money. Americans spend over $6 billion per year just paying for the electricity to power their television sets. Add in the cost of cable/satellite bills, dvd’s, movie subscriptions, peripherals … and we’re starting to talk about real money.
6. It impairs your capacity for rational thought. TV oversimplifies reality. It presents subjects in a matter of minutes and everything is nicely wrapped up at the end. This harms clear thinking by conditioning you to expect that most problems have a simple, clear solution that can be implemented in 60 minutes or less.
7. It is bad for your health. Numerous studies draw direct parallels between excessive television watching and obesity.
8. It results in less satisfaction with life. According to the Journal of Economic Psychology, TV viewers report lower life satisfaction, higher material aspirations, and more anxiety.
9. It results in less sex. Couples who keep a TV in the bedroom have sex half as often as those who don’t. And if you ask me, that should be reason enough.
10. Its opportunity cost is too great. The average American watched an average of 5.1 hours of television per day in 2009. That’s time you could have spent exercising, eating a meal together, entertaining, enjoying nature, meditating, enjoying a hobby, reading a book, or fulfilling a dream.
susan says
Good post. I get up at 5:15am and fall into bed much later at night. If I am not reading I turn on the TV. Trust me at 10pm there is no more socialization left in me. We have 3 kids at home with special needs. TV gives me a break:) I never have on TV during the day or at meal time. That being said it is just a tool that can be used responsibly just like the computer.
Regena says
You’re so interesting! I do not suppose I’ve read a single thing like that before. So good to discover another person with a few unique thoughts on this subject matter. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This web site is something that is needed on the web, someone with some originality!
brian says
been tv free for 2 years. it made me interact and socialize more and exercise /read more. not having a tv increased my quality of life, and id recommend abstaining from tv to anyone that feels they would like to squeeze a little more life out of…… life.
Mike says
I think 10 points might have been stretching it. I agree with a few of them, enough to possibly ditch the TV. The assumption is that everyone uses TV to avoid all of the other things you’ve pointed out. So what if you’ve done your work out for the day? What if you’ve consoled your friends and family, and they you. What if you had dinner with the family? What if, after a long day you want to decompress and watch The Golden Girls?
The electricity to power a TV is minimal. The cost of cable is minimal.
The problem too, is that the internet is just as saturated with companies vying for your attention. Articles and videos are just as sensationalized.
This seems a bit oversimplified.
André says
Once you let go of TV, you somehow have more time for all the other important things in your life.
Susan Voorhees says
Point taken.
However, my boyfriend (of 20 years) and I watch a couple of hours of
TV most nights, all of which is pre-recorded, so we skip commercials, and only watch shows we really enjoy on Watch Instantly on Netflix on the TV screen, mostly British, like Call the Midwives, Doyle’s War, We recently watched a single episode of the old Kung Fu with David Caradine on DVD, from the 1970’s, one a night for many months. Very good peace training. We discuss the plots and characters and apply the learning to our lives and the understanding of history. We look forward to the down time in the evening after a full day of teaching Yoga Classes or Tai Chi, or hiking. If there is something we want to say to each other during the show, we stop it and talk. The medium has enriched our lives, and we can still take a night off to dine outside together, if we choose, during the warm Summer months.
joanne Monyelle says
Hi! I read Becoming Minimalist and find your articles helpful and empowering. I agree with the statements indicated, but, would like to take it a step further. I suffer from depressive illness and sometimes the only thing I’m up to doing is watching T.V. This is true for many people with various health issues. An argument that I’m watching too much T.V.(therefore it is perpetuating my illness) is not accurate. Often, I will suggest to someone, take a walk, do some drawing or cooking..etc.watch a movie…or something…….If a show brightens someones spirits , THAT IS A GOOD THING. I cannot afford cable or internet, so I usually watch PBS. anyway…. at nighttime all that’s on are crime shows …Those programs are awful, and can add to an already low feelings.. The FREE programming that is offered is outrageous…. Too bad better shows are not offered.. HOORAY and three cheers for PBS
Kim says
2 years ago, I turned the cable off for the summer. It was great! The kids would come down in the morning and open the back door and go outside. Last summer, the Olympics were on in July, so we didn’t turn it off. I was ready to cut it off this week on the last day of school and now the Blackhawks are in the Stanley Cup and the first 2 games are not on broadcast TV. You see how it can go on and on? Anyway, June 17th at midnight, I’m making the call. Hoping to not turn it back on in the fall!
Sarah says
I’m actually quite addicted to television, I always have been. On my days off, 5 hours a day seems low.. I would double that. As a Christian, I’m starting to feel convicted that I could and should be doing a lot more with my time to help and be with those around me instead of these fictional characters. I’ve been toying with the idea of turning the tv off for the summer.. I haven’t gotten up the courage to do that yet though.
Diane says
TV is used by governments and corporations as a mass media brain washing and propaganda device. You may think you are staying informed by watching news and documentaries but actually a lot of the time you are being ‘programmed’ and told what to think and what to spend time thinking about. I definitely recommend turning the TV off!
sumguy derp says
tv is awesome (to me though) all hail tv