Research Does Increased TV Consumption Make People Stupid?

People who watch a lot of television are more likely to be subject to everyday myths
Those who watch a lot of television not only endanger their health, but are also more likely to be the subject of everyday myths. This was shown by an investigation of Austrian scientists. High TV consumption may also be related to prejudice and false information on health issues.

Long sitting is unhealthy
Anyone who sits in front of the TV for a long time endangers his health. Recently, Dutch scientists reported that prolonged sitting increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. In addition, spending hours in front of the TV can trigger a pulmonary embolism. Previous studies also showed that sitting a lot increases the risk of colon cancer. And it is often associated with a wrong posture and consequent ailments like back pain.

Those who watch a lot of television not only endanger their health, but are also more susceptible to everyday myths and prejudices. (Image: Focus Pocus LTD / fotolia.com)

High TV consumption promotes prejudice
A high TV consumption is not only problematic because of the long sitting. He apparently also promotes prejudice and leads to a false level of information. As the MedUni Vienna reports in a recent communication, people who watch a lot of television are more likely to be subject to everyday myths - regardless of age, education and gender. This was the conclusion of a media study at the Center for Public Health of MedUni Vienna headed by Benedikt Till and Thomas Niederkrotenthaler. The researchers published their findings in the journal "Death Studies".

Almost twelve percent believe that the death penalty exists in Austria
As part of the study, 322 people were questioned about their TV consumption and at the same time whether they believe that there is still the death penalty in Austria and how many people are on death row. According to the report, 11.6 percent of respondents believe that the death penalty still exists. This assumption was the more widespread, the higher the television consumption was.

The university explained in its press release that the death penalty in the Alpine republic was abolished in February 1968 and the last execution took place in Austria in March 1950.

Influence of US series
"The effect of more than one in ten believing that there is still the death penalty in Austria is probably due to the high proportion of American films and TV series on Austrian television," said Benedict Till. "Especially in the thrillers is continuously portrayed the American justice system, in which the death penalty plays a central role."

In other areas, US productions seem to play a more positive role. For example, some years ago doctors criticized the healthy world of German medical series and emphasized formats such as "Dr. House, a US-based series on rare diseases.

Distorted representation of the world
From the so-called cultivation research is known that the distorted representation of the world on TV can also lead to a distorted perception of the world in the audience. "In particular, people with high TV consumption, for example, often overestimate the number of people in those professions that are often portrayed on television, such as doctors, lawyers or police. Also, the probability of becoming a victim of a crime is overestimated, "Till said.

High TV consumption does not just change values
As shown in the current study, television consumption not only changes attitudes and values, but can "also negatively and fundamentally influence knowledge of basic principles of society, such as the death penalty," the researchers said.

The study also suggests that other prejudices, myths and false information on health-related topics - such as suicide myths, the core area of ​​the two social medics at the MedUni Vienna Center for Public Health - could be linked to increased media consumption. (Ad)