Culture

Life better without TV: study

by Rob Peters | March 18, 2008 at 10:30 am

1359 views | 5 Recommendations | 6 comments

I agree that TV-lessness is a good thing. I haven't had one for about six months and the quiet is nice. Eating dinner without a TV on in the background is kind of creepy at first but I've grown to like it.

With so many other options for TV shows--torrents, downloads, DVDs etc.--it's easy to be a smarter and more selective TV watcher nowadays. Cable is so 2001.

(CNN) -- What happens when people turn off the TV for three weeks? They turn to their spouses, newspapers and religion.

At least that's what an educational TV show found in a novel experiment on a small island in South Korea, according to a report in the newspaper Don-A Ilbo on Tuesday. The study concluded that folks who turned off the tube reported having richer lives.

"My eyes used to be glued to the TV but now I look at my wife, and find her prettier than before," the village leader, Choi Dae-mun, told the newspaper. "I help her put skin pack on her face at nights. Life's become more fun."

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azer

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 11:36 on March 18th, 2008

I threw the damned things out but, when the war started in Iraq, I bought one so that I could watch CNN. Unfortunately, I also watched other stuff - flipping through the many channels available. When I called to have the service canceled, I was asked why I was canceling the service. I replied, "I stopped watching T.V. 10 years ago because it was really, really bad. Recently when I started watching T.V. again I found that it had become much worse over the years." The guy answered, "I agree with you sir," and he canceled my account.

That being said, not having T.V. does not really disconnect me - there's still lots of noise in my life (not just from the Internet.)

Amy Judd

at 13:11 on March 18th, 2008

I have to say I am guilty of watching really stupid shows on tv, but I just can't bring myself to throw the thing out.

azer

at 14:02 on March 18th, 2008

Go for it!

The more positive, beneficial and uplifting activities you have in your life, the easier it will be:

Take a walk to the local library and browse the books and magazines,
Ask at your local church, library, health and community center(s) and food kitchens about volunteer job openings (there are usually too many!)
Sign-up for some classes at the local church, community center(s,) colleges and universities. Many local high-schools also offer courses at night.

Learn that foriegn language, play that musical instrument or make those fancy glass lamp shades that you always wanted to make. Most importantly: meet lots of interesting people in the process.

Getting rid of the stupid box is always a win/win and keep winning sort of proposition!

martha madness.

at 18:58 on March 18th, 2008

I didn't take this, I drew this.

martha madness. has contributed a photo to this story.

arroganceisbliss

at 21:21 on March 18th, 2008

The family I am currently raising consists of 3 people other than myslef of coarse. Now 6 months ago I did something that I at the time thought would be a nice thing to do for my family. I went and signed up for one of these cable services w/ internet combo deals. I knew that the internet would be for me and the cable was for my family to enjoy and have some more quality television for my two young children and my wife. WOW! Was I wrong. Although, the quality of viewing programing available on cable is substantially better than network televison shows. It does not provided a better way to spend time. It is truly only a way to kill time and in the process thrashing any thinking pattern, (if you're left w/ any of your own after a few years).

Television at any level only impares your thinking and makes you lazy. This is what I tell my family now, (of coarse no one is listening because the t.v. is on). At least there is always the web.