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READINGPASSAGE13TVADDICTIONATheamountoftimepeoplespendwatchingtelevisionisastonishing,Onaverage,individualsintheindustrialisedworlddevotethreehoursadaytothepursuit-fullyhalfoftheirleisuretime,andmorethanonanysingleactivitysaveworkandsleep.Atthisrate,someonewholivesto75wouldspendnineyearsinfrontofthetube.Tosomecommentators,thisdevotionmeanssimplythatpeopleenjoyTVandmakeaconsciousdecisiontowatchit.Butifthatisthewholestory,whydosomanypeopleexperiencemisgivingsabouthowmuchtheyview?InGalluppollsin1992and1999,twooutoffiveadultrespondentsandsevenoutof10teenagerssaidtheyspenttoomuchtimewatchingTV.Othersurveyshaveconsistentlyshownthatroughly10percentofadultscallthemselvesTVaddicts.BTostudypeople'sreactiontoTV,researchershaveundertakenlaboratoryexperimentsinwhichtheyhavemonitoredthebrainwaves(usinganelectroencephalograph,orEEG)totrackbehaviourandemotioninthenormalcourseoflife,asopposedtotheartificialconditionsofthelab.Participantscarriedbeeper,andwesignaledthemsixtoeighttimesaday,atarandom,overtheperiodofaweek,whenevertheyheardthedeep,theywrotedownwhattheyweredoingandhowtheywerefeelingusingastandardizedscorecard.CAsonemightexpect,peoplewhowerewatchingTVwhenwebeepedthemreportedandpassive.TheEEGstudiessimilarlyshowlessmentalstimulation,asmeasuredbyalphabrain-waveproduction,duringviewingthanduringreading.Whatismoresurprisingisthatthesenseofrelaxationendswhenthesetisturnedoff,butthefeelingofpassivityandloweredalertnesscontinue.Surveyparticipantssaytheyhavemoredifficultyconcentratingafterviewingthanbefore.Incontrast,theyrarelyindicatesuchdifficultyafterreading.Afterplayingsportsorengaginginhobbies,peoplereportimprovementsinmood.AfterwatchingTV,people'smoodsareaboutthesameorworsethanbefore.Thatmaybebecauseviewer'svaguelearnedsensethattheywillfeellessrelaxediftheystopviewing.Sotheytendnottoturnthesetoff.Viewingbegetsmoreviewingwhichisthesameastheexperienceofhabit-formingdrugs.Thus,theironyofTV:peoplewatchagreatdeallongertheyplanto,eventhoughprolongedviewingislessrewarding.InourESMstudiesthelongerpeoplesatinfrontoftheset,thelesssatisfactiontheysaidderivedfromit.Forsome,atwingeofuneaseorguiltthattheytheyaren'tdoingsomethingmoreproductivemayalsoaccompanyanddepreciatetheenjoymentofprolongedviewing.ResearchersinJapan,theU.KandtheU.Shavefoundthatthisguiltoccursmuchmoreamongmiddle-classviewersthanamonglessaffluentones.DWhatisitaboutTVthathassuchaholdonus?Inpart,theattractionseemstospringfromourbiological'orientingresponse'.FirstdescribedbyIvanPavlovin1927,theorientingresponseinourinstinctivevisualorauditoryreactiontoanysuddenornovelstimulus.Itispartofourevolutionaryheritage,abuilt-insensitivitytomovementandpotentialpredatorythreats.In1986ByronReevesofStanfordUniversity,EstherThorsonoftheUniversityofMissouriandtheircolleaguesbegantostudywhetherthesimpleformalfeaturesoftelevision-cuts,edits,zooms,pansSuddennoises-activatetheorientingresponse,therebykeepingattentiononthescreen.Bywatchinghowbrainwaveswereaffectedbyformalfeatures,theresearchersconcludedthattheasestylistictrickscanindeedtriggerinvolutionarysignificanceofdetectingmovement......Itistheform,notthecontent,oftelevisionthatisunique,'EThenaturalattractiontotelevision'ssoundandlightstartsveryearlyinlife,DafnaLemishofTelAviuUniversityhasdescribedbabiesatsixtoeightweeksattendingtotelevision.Wehaveobservedslightlyolderinfantswho,whenlyingontheirbacksonthefloor,cranetheirnecksaround180degreestocatchwhatlightthroughyonderwindowbreaks.Theinclinationsuggestdeeplyrootedtheorientingresponseis.FTheExperienceSamplingMethodpermittedustolookatmosteverydomainofeverydaylife:working,eating,reading,talkingtofriends,playingasport,andsoon.Wefoundthatheavyviewersreportfeelingsignificantlymoreanxiousandlesshappythanlightviewersdoinunstructuredsituations,suchasdoingnothing,daydreamingorwaitinginline.Thedifferencewidenswhentheviewerisalone.Subsequently,RobertD.McIlwraithoftheUniversityofMantitobaextensivelystudiedthosewhocalledthemselvesTVaddictsonsurveys.OnameasurecalledtheShortImaginalProcessessInventory(SIPI),hefoundthattheselfdescribedaddictsaremoreeasilyboredanddistractthemselvesfromunpleasantthoughtsandtofilltime.Otherstudiesovertheyearshaveshownthatheavyviewersarelesslikelytoparticipateincommunityactivitiesandsportsandaremorelikelytobeobesethanmoderateviewersornon-viewers.GMorethan25yearsagopsychologistTannisM.MacBethWilliamsoftheUniversityofBritishColumbiastudiedamoutaincommutitythathadnotelevisionuntilcablefinallyarrived.Overtime,bothadultsandchildreninthetownbecamelesscreativeinproblemsolving,lessabletopersevereattasks,andlesstolerantofunstructuredtime.HNearly40yearsagoGaryA.SteineroftheUniversityofChicagocollectedfascinatingindividualaccountsoffamilieswhosesethadbroken.Inexperiments,familieshavevolunteeredorbeenpaidtostopviewing,typicallyforaweekoramonth.Somefought,verballyandphysically.Inareviewofthesecold-turkeystudies,CharlesWinickoftheCityUniversityofNewYorkconcluded:'Thefirstthreeorfourdaysformostpersonsweretheworst,eveninmanyhomeswhereviewingwasminimalandwheretherewereotherongoingact