Television And Depression

A careful analysis of people who suffer from depression will reveal that most of them are big-time television watchers. A study conducted by the Harvard University has found that the inactivity of brain can result in the expression of a range of emotional and physical symptoms associated with depression.

On the contrary, it has been found that exercising has a positive impact on the human body and is known to boost self-esteem and a sense of control. As per the study, it was found that women who were exercising regularly were less likely to suffer from depression when compared with women who rarely exercised. Physical activity has an indirect correlation with depression levels. The study found that women who exercised for 90 minutes or more each day were 20 percent less likely to develop symptoms of depression. Women who spent more than three hours a day on watching television were 13 percent more likely to develop symptoms of depression.

Another study was conducted recently to analyze the impact of television on teenagers. A group of adolescents were selected and none of them showed any symptoms of depression at the start of the study. However, when the same group of people were analyzed after seven years (at the age of 21), seven percent of them had already developed signs of depression. The depressed people were watching more television than their counterparts, who did not show any signs of depression. The study found that every extra hour of TV was directly linked with an 8% greater risk of depression. It was found that younger men were at a higher risk of depression than younger women even if they watched the same amount of television.

The study proposed that parents should be on the lookout for early warning signals of depression in the children. They should be concerned if their teen turns down invitations to be with other kids, preferring instead to watch TV or play games on the computer. Watching too much of television or spending too much time on computers is bound to create psychological difficulties for the children as they will have poorer relationship with their parents, friends, and peers.

Internet addiction and depression

The psychologists in UK have found a strong linkage between internet addiction and depression. Heavy internet usage leads to a compulsive internet habit which eventually replaces the social interaction of the individual with online chatting and social networking through websites. There is no doubt that internet usage has made our lives easy in terms of paying bills, shopping, and sending emails. But, there is a large percentage of the population that becomes addicted to the internet and has no control of the time they spend surfing. The addiction reaches a point where it starts to interfere in their day-to-day activities. The study also found internet addicts to be emotionally distressed.

To avoid any harmful side effects of exposure to television and computers, parents should try to limit the total electronic time of their children to less than 2 hours per day. Good habits such as exercising and creating a healthy social life should be encouraged to overcome the harmful effects of becoming addicted to television or computers.