Lakhasly

to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it.Because the relaxation occurs quickly, people are conditioned to associate 10 English II - Faculty of Oral & Dental Medicine- Dr. Dina Gaber viewing with rest and lack of tension.For some, a twinge of unease or guilt that they aren't doing something more productive may also accompany and depreciate the enjoyment of prolonged viewing.Researchers in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. have found that this guilt occurs much more among middle-class viewers than among less affluent ones The orienting response is an instinctive reaction to any sudden or new, such as movement or possible attack by a predator.Typical orienting reactions include the following the arteries to the brain grow wider allowing more blood to reach it, the heart slows down and arteries to the large muscles become narrower so as to reduce blood supply to them.In our ESM studies the longer people sat in front of the set, the less satisfaction they said they derived from it. When signaled, heavy viewers (those who consistently watch more than four hours a day) tended to report on their ESM sheets that they enjoy TV less than light viewers did (less than two hours a day).The association is positively reinforced because viewers remain relaxed throughout viewing.Thus, the irony of TV: people watch a great deal longer than they plan to, even though prolonged viewing is less rewarding.Brain waves are also interrupted for a few seconds.These changes allow the brain to focus its attention on gathering more information and becoming more alert while the rest of the body becomes quieter.

The term "TV addiction" is imprecise, but it
captures the essence of a very real phenomenon.
Psychologists formally define addiction as a
disorder characterized by criteria that include
spending a great deal of time using the thing; using
it more often than one intends; thinking about
reducing use or making repeated unsuccessful
efforts to reduce use; giving up important activities All these criteria can apply to people who watch a lot of television. That does not mean that
watching television, in itself, is problematic. Television can teach and amuse; it can be highly
artistic; it can provide much needed distraction and escape. The difficulty arises when people
strongly sense that they ought not to watch as much as they do and yet find they are unable to
reduce their viewing. Some knowledge of how television becomes so addictive may help heavy
viewers gain better control over their lives
The amount of time people spend watching television is astonishing. On average,
individuals in the industrialized world devote three hours a day to the activity – fully half of
their leisure time, and more than on any single activity except work and sleep. At this rate,
someone who lives to 75 would spend nine years in front of the television. Possibly, this
devotion means simply that people enjoy TV and make a conscious decision to watch it. But if
that is the whole story, why do so many people worry about how much they view? In surveys in
1992 and 1999, two out of five adults and seven out of ten teenagers said they spent too much
time watching TV. Other surveys have consistently shown that roughly ten per cent of adults
call themselves TV addicts.
To study people’s reactions to TV, researchers have undertaken laboratory experiments in
which they have monitored the brain waves, skin resistance or heart rate of people watching
television. To study behavior and emotion in the normal course of life, as opposed to the
artificial conditions of the laboratory, we have used the Experience Sampling Method (ESM).
Participants carried a beeper*, and we signaled them six to eight times a day, at random, over
the period of a week; whenever they heard the beep, they wrote down what they were doing and
how they were feeling.
As one might expect, people who were watching TV when we beeped them reported feeling
relaxed and passive. The EEG studies similarly show less mental stimulation, as measured by
alpha brain-wave production, during viewing than during reading.
What is more surprising is that the sense of relaxation ends when the set is turned off, but
the feelings of passivity and lowered alertness continue. Survey participants commonly reflect
that television has somehow absorbed or sucked out their energy, leaving them depleted. They
say they have more difficulty concentrating after viewing than before. In contrast, they rarely
indicate such difficulty after reading. After playing sports or engaging in hobbies, people report
improvements in mood. After watching TV, people's moods are about the same or worse than
before.
Within moments of sitting or lying down and pushing the "power" button, viewers report
feeling more relaxed. Because the relaxation occurs quickly, people are conditioned to associate
10 English II – Faculty of Oral & Dental Medicine- Dr. Dina Gaber
viewing with rest and lack of tension. The association is positively reinforced because viewers
remain relaxed throughout viewing.
Thus, the irony of TV: people watch a great deal longer than they plan to, even though
prolonged viewing is less rewarding. In our ESM studies the longer people sat in front of the
set, the less satisfaction they said they derived from it. When signaled, heavy viewers (those
who consistently watch more than four hours a day) tended to report on their ESM sheets that
they enjoy TV less than light viewers did (less than two hours a day). For some, a twinge of
unease or guilt that they aren't doing something more productive may also accompany and
depreciate the enjoyment of prolonged viewing. Researchers in Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.
have found that this guilt occurs much more among middle-class viewers than among less
affluent ones
The orienting response is an instinctive reaction to any sudden or new, such as movement or
possible attack by a predator. Typical orienting reactions include the following the arteries to
the brain grow wider allowing more blood to reach it, the heart slows down and arteries to the
large muscles become narrower so as to reduce blood supply to them. Brain waves are also
interrupted for a few seconds. These changes allow the brain to focus its attention on gathering
more information and becoming more alert while the rest of the body becomes quieter.

to use it; and reporting withdrawal symptoms when
one stops using it.