Critics have long warned that watching too much TV rots the brain, but new evidence suggests that at least some spending time in front of the tube can benefit your mental health. In a study published in Journal of Community and Applied Social PsychologyThe researchers combined their own leisure research with U.S. Census Bureau information on household size, stress levels and screen use. People who take some time to themselves at home after work find it easier to return to their daily responsibilities.
“Family size really depends on how many demands a person has when he returns home,” Soo Min To, a behavioral scientist at the University of Toronto Mississauga and co-author of the study. stated in the university profile. “We tend to think that home can be a place of relaxation, but when you have more people – at least if you look at it in terms of the number of children – it can create more demands on someone and so it's not necessarily a place of recovery.”
To reach their findings, To and his Ohio University colleague Xian Zhao analyzed responses from more than 61,000 married adults registered with the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. American Time Use Study. They particularly focused on how much time respondents spent watching TV, depending on how many children they had, and how tired or stressed they felt in general. While they weren't surprised to see a spike in anxiety and fatigue in families with young children, they did notice a striking caveat: Parents who watched more TV said they “experienced” less fatigue and stress.
Then To and Zhao surveyed more than 100 Canadian students about family life, asking them to rate statements such as “I can’t hear myself thinking at home.” After completing the questionnaire, study volunteers recorded nightly reports about their smartphone use and general daytime mood. Once again, hustle and bustle at home coincided with negative emotions, but these feelings were not as strong for people who spent more time on their phones.
In a final survey, another group of college students was asked to list the total number of roommates they had, the amount of time they spent playing video games, and any difficulty returning to daily responsibilities the next morning. As in the previous two phases, young people who had more live friends had a harder time getting ready for class or work the next day, but those who played more video games didn't find it as much of a hassle.
“There is a buffering effect of screen time against household demands, stress and chaos, number of people and responsibilities,” Toh explained.
However, the team cautions against using their findings as sorry I'll go with vegetables every night as much as you want. For example, their work did not take into account issues such as online addictionwhich often negates any potential short-term mental health benefits. At the same time, for many people there may still be a “Goldilocks Zone” when it comes to checking social media or trying to beat the next level of a video game and not seeing results. negative health effects.
“We are not suggesting that you spend more time on your phone…[but] it allows you to take a breather and be in this space where you can take a break from all your responsibilities,” To said. “And this could be very helpful in restoring our resources.”
