วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 24 มิถุนายน พ.ศ. 2553

Can Television and the Media Be Harmful to Your Health?



This week my mother and mother-in-law will be in town to help celebrate the birth of our child. In preparation for their arrival, we have been overwhelmed, staying up quite late cleaning, buying food, and redecorating the baby's room. As a result, we have not had time to watch much TV, read the local paper, or spend more than 20 minutes perusing the internet. As a self-admitted information junky, it is alarming - yet refreshing - that I have not missed my news hunts.

My family got its first television in the 1980s, and to a little country kid, it was heavenly. I loved watching cartoons, soaps, and public television with siblings. After school I could not wait to get home and get my fix of TV. When I grew up, I had triple the number of TVs in my home and started reading the New York Times, People, and other publications. Soon apparent was the fact that with these distractions, there appeared to be fewer hours in each day. I came to understand that time, while constant, is perceived differently when you are not attentive to it.

Many of us spend so much time filling our minds with information that we have little time to focus on the important elements of life: love, peace, contentment, health, and harmony. For example, a few months ago I counted fourteen negative or tragic stories (murder, fatalities, burglary, etc.) before the first commercial break. Though attention catching, these stories were filling my mind with images that affected my sleep and my demeanor at work the next day. I had headaches, felt sick, and was short of temper with people I considered close friends.

Even worse, the negative images led me to lose sight of important events that make life so special. I began to feel like Keanu Reeves in Johnny Pneumonic, dumping long-term memory in order to make room for recent data. While we are a long way from uploading information directly to our brains, the results of our technologically advanced society can be the same. There is a way to avoid the negative effects of such pervasive media coverage.

First, read more. It has been proven that we remember more through the active process of reading than through the passive process of watching TV. Further, reading exercises your brain which, like a muscle, gets better with more exercise. Choose your reading carefully, avoiding the sensational stories of violence and destruction and opting for material that will benefit your life.

If you prefer TV, be similarly selective by watching only programs that interest you. Like my friend who eats only what she truly loves, and therefore remains thin, choose only the shows you want to watch instead of just viewing whatever is on at the time. Pre-recording the news allows you to skip items that will not improve your quality of life. Ten minutes of quality news can inform you as well as the full program which includes harmful images and information of little personal value.

Finally, internet junkies can help themselves by checking email only twice a day and by using news filters to make your news hunts more efficient and to help you remain more productive.
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