The Importance of Reading

Bibliotherapy - "Bibliotherapy is using books to heal, advise, teach, and comfort."

Want to Live Longer? Be Wealthier? And Happier? Here is the One PROVEN Secret: Reading!

Those Who Read Fiction Better at Reading People

Socially awkward? Hit the books

Reading For Pleasure

The therapeutic value of blogging becomes a focus of study

"... when it comes to preventing depression in teenagers, a self-help book might actually be more effective."

What Would Jane Do? How a 19th-century spinster serves as a moral compass in today's world

 Reading 'can help reduce stress'

Contrast Effect

TV is a combination of beautiful people, dressed by fashion experts, put into chic locations, surrounded by expensive toys, and given plotlines and dialogue by extremely bright, talented and funny writers.  No one can compare with that.

But compare we do, and in comparison our lives can seem pretty drab and pathetic.

Why I Hate Beauty (2008)

Why I Hate Beauty (2001)

The Beautiful People Syndrome

"Desperate Housewives and other TV soap operas may help make adolescent girls desperate for a thinness few can healthily achieve, new Australian research suggests." - HealthDay News (June 2005)

"We found men who were exposed to images of the so-called "ideal" male became more depressed and significantly more dissatisfied with the size and shape of their own muscular build once they were exposed to those commercials." - Ivanhoe Broadcast News (May 2005)

"The researchers say that by looking at idealized, sexualized women,  guys feel less-than because they start thinking they need to measure up on the attractiveness scale to snag such a mate."  - MSNBC (Nov 2008)

"The rail-thin blonde bombshell on the cover of a magazine makes all women feel badly about their own bodies despite the size, shape, height or age of the viewers. A new University of Missouri-Columbia study found that all women were equally and negatively affected after viewing pictures of models in magazine ads for just three minutes." - Science Daily (March 2007)

"Magazine ads featuring female fashion models have an immediate negative impact on a woman's self-esteem, according to a University of Toronto study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders." - Science Daily (April 1999)

"Many studies have shown that media images of female models have had a negative impact on how woman view their own bodies, but does this same effect hold true when men view male models? A leading researcher of media effects on body image at the University of Missouri looked at the effect of male magazines on college-age men." - Science Daily (Nov 2008)

"Wolf goes on to tell us that Angelina has it all, she has Brad Pitt, first of all, but also she cares for "half a football team of children", does good deeds, all the while looking like...Angelina Jolie. And in so doing she shows all women that they too can have it all. I demur. Images can be made to look like they have it all, but people don't. The person Angelina Jolie undoubtedly has disappointments, messes up, and doesn't look like "Angelina Jolie" much of the time. But even more important than the fact that people don't have it all is that people don't need to have it all, and setting that up as a goal is a recipe for constant dissatisfaction. Be a celebrity atheist, give up on the conviction that celebrities prove there's a perfect life out there, and focus instead on doing your best in an imperfect but also kind of remarkable world." - Psychology Today Blogs (Aug 2009)

"We're being told that there is a space on television and in popular culture more broadly for women who defy conventional beauty norms, women who are "ugly." Hell, there's a whole show about a woman who's ugly! It's right there in the title! But in reality, those "ugly" women look an awful lot like the beautiful ones." - Feministing.com (March 2010)

"A good example of this is what I call "romantic realism." These are images that are similar to the world we live in, but somehow better. Think, for example, of a TV ad for food: the beautiful food sizzles and bursts with flavorful color, it is surrounded by gorgeous people having great fun as they consume the food. It's like life, but better" - Psychology Today Blogs (Jan 2010)

"Do Relationships Need to be Entertaining?" - Psychology Today Blogs (April 2010)

Objectification

"A report of the American Psychological Association (APA) released today found evidence that the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development." - Science Daily (Feb 2007)

"Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls" - American Psychological Association (2007)

"A steady diet of exploitative, sexually provocative depictions of women feeds a poisonous trend in women's and girl's perceptions of their bodies, one that has recently been recognized by social scientists as self-objectification -- viewing one's body as a sex object to be consumed by the male gaze." - Alternet (Aug 2008)

"It suggests some women who are objectified by men internalize this perception and think of themselves as “a sexual object to be scrutinized.” For reasons that are not entirely clear, this process appears to undermine their cognitive ability." - Alternet (April 2010)

Boredom

"We wondered whether heavy viewers might experience life differently than light viewers do. Do they dislike being with people more? Are they more alienated from work? What we found nearly leaped off the page at us. Heavy viewers report feeling significantly more anxious and less happy than light viewers do in unstructured situations, such as doing nothing, daydreaming or waiting in line. The difference widens when the viewer is alone." - Scientific American (Feb 2002)

"Our culture's obsession with external sources of entertainment—TV, movies, the Internet, video games—may also play a role in increasing boredom. "I think there is something about our modern experience of sensory overload where there is not the chance and ability to figure out what your interests, what your passions are" - Scientific American (Feb 2007)

"Encouraging children to entertain themselves in mentally active and imaginative ways and to avoid passive, quick-fix entertainment could also reduce boredom. “We provide children lots of entertainment in the form of television and iPods to prevent them from developing their inner skills to contend with boredom,” Sundberg says. Engaging in active entertainment, such as playing sports or games, is also much more likely to produce flow, Csikszentmihalyi says. Developing ways to cope with boredom may even help cure other ills. For example, some research hints that if former drug addicts learn to deal effectively with boredom, they are less likely to relapse. In an ongoing study of 156 addicts at a methadone clinic at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, Todman found that the addicts’ reported level of boredom was the only reliable indicator of whether they would stay clean." - Scientific American (Dec 2007)

Traumatic TV

"In Barry Glassner's book, The Culture of Fear, he explains that our local TV newscasts, at least in the U.S., are the greatest fear-mongering vehicles that exist. According to his research, between the years of 1990 and 1998 (when the nation's murder rate declined by 20%), the number of murder stories on network newscasts increased by 600%! Paul Klite, of the Rocky Mountain Media Watch, said in a 1999 interview, "Seventy five percent of Americans who watch TV news are regularly subjected to a nightly dose of catastrophe. And, in the news, the blood is real."" - Psychology Today Blogs (April 2010)

"Traumatic news footage on TV can seem so real that our brains respond to it emotionally" - Psychology Today (Jan 2004)

"When the U.S. invaded Iraq last year, families of soldiers watched combat on live TV, covered for the first time by “embedded” reporters. Witnessing real-time battles added much additional stress, according to a study of families by the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York." - Psychology Today (March 2004)

"People are often unprepared for the elemental emotions that emerge from watching tragic news segments and respond by emotionally turning off." - Psychology Today (March 1992)

The 'mean-world' syndrome

"sleep disturbances and stomach ailments were frequently reported as resulting from a child's viewing of something frightening on TV"

TV viewing of Katrina affects children psychologically

"It is certainly a good thing to know what is going on. But being glued to the TV is not good. People who spend all of their time watching TV news coverage can become more frightened, more withdrawn, and maybe even more depressed."

Long-Term Memories of Frightening Media Often Include Lingering Trauma Symptoms

"Toddlers and young children who watch violent movies, including Halloween horror films, television shows or video games may be more likely to develop anxiety, sleep disorders, and aggressive and self-endangering behaviors."

Less Sleep

"Television Watching Before Bedtime Can Lead To Sleep Debt" - Science Daily (June 2009)

"Children With TVs Or Computers In Their Room Sleep Less" - Science Daily (Sept 2008)

Too much TV during the day could mean too little sleep for kids, according to a new study.

"On insufficient sleep, television, and a better sex life" -  Psychology Today Blog (March 2010)

"Feelings of depression and low self-esteem plague children as they advance through middle school because they get increasingly less sleep, according to a new study of 2,259 Illinois students."

But it may be that insomnia is more than just a symptom of depression. It may in fact unleash the mood disorder.

Children With TVs Or Computers In Their Room Sleep Less

In Defense of a Good Night's Sleep

"A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep." - E! Science News (Jan 2010)

Social Isolation

"Sometimes people ask, “If you had to pick just one thing, what would be the one secret to a happy life?” The answer is clear: strong bonds with other people. If I had to pick one thing, that’s it. The wisdom of the ages and the current scientific studies agree on this point." - Psychology Today Blog (Nov 2009)

"The research provides evidence for the 'social surrogacy hypothesis,' which holds that humans can use technologies, like television, to provide the experience of belonging when no real belongingness has been experienced," says one of the study's authors, Shira Gabriel, Ph.D., UB assistant professor of psychology." - Science Daily (April 2009)

Childhood TV and gaming is 'major public health issue'

Parents, children lose art of conversation

The Decline of Civic Engagement or Trading the Elks Club For Seinfeld

Lonely in Las Vegas

(Study Reveals Negative Potential of Heavy Internet Use on Emotional Well Being)

TV also contributes to depression by causing social isolation.  The over 4 hours in front of the TV every day that Americans spend, is time not spent with friends and family.

As far as depression goes, staring at a blank wall is better for you than watching TV.  With a blank wall, people get bored and lonely, and then get up and do something.  If they feel lonely enough, they get up the courage to go speak to someone.  TV makes people feel like they have enough friends, and thus don't need to make an effort to make more friends.

"Americans are more socially isolated today than we were barely two decades ago." - Time Magazine (June 2006)

"Americans' Circle of Friends Is Shrinking" - Science Daily (June 2006)

"In 1985, when researchers asked a cross-section of Americans how many confidants they had, the most common response was three. When they asked again in 2004, the most common answer -- from 25% of respondents -- was zero, nil, nada." - The Los Angeles Times (Feb 2009)

"Researchers believe that in a media-orientated society, celebrities have taken the place of neighbors, relatives, friends and family for many people. They feel that the respect for family members has been replaced by worship of the famous, as this is the new method of associating with success." - Wikipedia

"the benefits of watching television when lonely, which seems to provide the same sort of emotional relief as spending time with real people" -  The Frontal Cortex (July 2009)

"They find that people who are anxious over and preoccupied with their real world relationships are more likely than others to feel an intense interpersonal connection to their favorite TV characters." -  Psychology Today Blog (Feb 2008)

"The best research confirms it: Americans are now perilously isolated. In a recent comprehensive study by scientists at Duke University, researchers have observed a sharp decline in social connectedness over the past 20 years." -  Psychology Today Blog (July 2009)

TV hogs the dinner table "As families become busier, they run the risk of developing the "home-alone-together" syndrome.  They live under the same roof, but co-exist separately in their own emotional silos."

Social Isolation Kills, But How and Why?

"But the researchers found that in collectivistic nations, such as East Asia, where nearly 80% of the population is genetically susceptible to depression, "the actual prevalence of depression is significantly lower than in individualistic nations, such as the United States and Western Europe."" - USA Today (Oct 2009)

Running Alone May Offer Diminished Rewards

"Exercising together appears to increase the level of the feel-good endorphin hormones naturally released during physical exertion, a study suggests." - BBC News (Sept 2009)

Being a loner reduces immunity and heart health

The perils of going solo

Loneliness Is Bad For Your Health

Because TV soothes low self-esteem people who are depressed will often seek out TV as a distraction.  But as with most addictions, the object of their desire just makes them feel worse.

"People with strong social ties live longer than those who are isolated. Making time for close relationships is as vital as many other things people do. Socially connected people are less prone to stress. "

"Relationships with other people are what make us the happiest"

"A network of good friends, rather than close family ties, helps you live longer in older age, suggests research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health."

Updating the Helper Therapy Principle

"However, a recent study in Italy showed that people who had a television in the bedroom had half as much sex as those who didn’t, and that certain programmes – violent films and reality TV – were passion killers for one-third of couples."

"In the May issue of Computers in Human Behavior, a research team led by Irena Stepanikova of South Carolina reports evidence connecting increased Web use with increased loneliness  and decreased life satisfaction."

Consumerism

What most surprised me were the results I got from my study, which found that the more kids are exposed to consumer culture, they likelier they are to become depressed, suffer from anxiety, or experience low self-esteem. I would have thought it was the other way around — that consumer culture was the symptom, not the cause."

A new study shows that kids who watch lots of TV ads are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, stomachaches and other problems.

Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism

"A new study suggests why sadness makes us want to buy: increased self-focus." -  Psychology Today Blog (Feb 2008)

Less Empathy

"College students today are significantly less empathic than students of the 80's or 90's, according to a new study by the University of Michigan. The 30-year longitudinal study of nearly 14,000 students found a 40% drop in empathy from the late 70's, with the sharpest decline occurring after the year 2000." -  Psychology Today Blog (May 2010)

"Worse, much of the time that used to be spent playing outdoors is now spent in front of screens. Television, obviously cannot teach empathy. Even nonviolent kids' TV, research finds, is filled with indirect aggression and linked to increased real-world bullying." -  Psychology Today Blog (May 2010)

"This difference raises the question of why? Researchers Konrath and O'Brien hazard a few guesses, most related to the increase in exposure to and use of media. For example, many in this current generation have had repeated lifetime exposure to violent video games and films, and there is a growing body of research suggesting that violent video games (and perhaps films) are a cause of increased aggressive behavior, thoughts, and feelings, and a decrease in empathy and prosocial behavior across both gender and culture." -  Psychology Today Blog (June 2010)

Review of "Generation Me"

"Have We Become a Nation of Narcissists?"

"Is there an epidemic of narcissism today?"

"The "debate" about narcissism increasing: More twists than a crime novel "

"I'm particularly fascinated by the negative influences of narcissism and perfectionism in our lives, as these are traits that seem to be celebrated in many ways in modern American culture. For example, many cultural heroes of popular TV shows, particularly those shows that portray the lives of doctors, lawyers and successful business people, are hard-driving individuals who seem to have no life other than work. What each shares is a grandiose sense of his or her own self-importance that is central to the definition of narcissism."

Depressed Society

Evolution Of Despair by Robert Wright gives an excellent overview of the effects of modern society and television on people's psyches.

Public Health Clinic Study Links 'Americanization' And Depression

Depression rates rise over generations - studies show that younger persons are subject to the disorder more than in former years

"The authors also find that over the last century, Americans, both men and women, have gotten steadily—and hugely—less happy."

Researchers at Yale University have found that heavy TV viewing contributes to decreased attention spans and impatience with delay, as well as general feelings of boredom and distraction.

"A new study has found that five times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era." - USA Today (Jan 2010), and  Psychology Today Blog (Jan 2010)

Assorted

Television and the Quality of Life: How Viewing Shapes Everyday Experience (1990)

CWRU STUDY LINKS HEAVY TV VIEWING TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA

“People who procrastinate tend to be less healthy, less wealthy and less happy” - with TV contributing to procrastination

Does Watching TV Make Us Happy? - Opportunity Costs & TV (PDF)

Happiness

"The Happiness Project, is an account of the year she spent test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier." - The Happiness Project

"After six months, women who had participated in art therapy showed significant improvements in their overall quality of life, general health, physical health, and psychological health;" -  Psychology Today Blog (April 2009)

"Banting knew what we all discover sooner or later - that everyone needs to recharge their mental batteries. Creative people know that there is nothing like recreations to recreate the creative charge. Make things and make them your own, whether paintings or quilts or songs or poems or birdhouses." -  Psychology Today Blog (Dec 2009)

"'Precious' and the Power of Writing" -  Psychology Today Blog (Nov 2009)

"It's a Wonderful Life" – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression" -  Psychology Today Blog (Dec 2009)

"The coach made the suggestion to ditch the cell phones for a simple reason: He was trying to "bring his players together." The players described the difference giving up their cell phones made: They talked and interacted. Previously, when the players traveled together, they weren't really together. They were on the same bus, in the same dining room, in the same hotel, but in a different mental space. The players were texting and talking with someone else, someplace else. When the phones were put away, suddenly they were in the same mental space. They interacted, they talked, and they "learned about each other," said one player, D'Andre Bell." -  Psychology Today Blog (March 2010)