Well, maybe. Actually, a recent study showed older women who cite
daytime dramas and talk shows as their favorite shows to watch did not score as well as those who listed
other shows. However, Dr. Joshua Fogel of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, the man who conducted
the tests, was quick to point out this doesn't mean there's a direct link between stupid daytime shows and actually
being stupid. Heck, if seeing stupid things on TV actually made you stupid this whole blog would be completely
unreadable since we'd all be drooling and banging on our keyboards with our foreheads. Anyway, the research hasn't
really proved anything, except their MIGHT be a connection between the shows we choose to watch and our own cognitive
ability. Well, I know Grover's demonstration of "near" and "far" has helped me tremendously with my
grasp of spatial relations, so maybe they're right.Daytime TV makes old people dumb
Well, maybe. Actually, a recent study showed older women who cite
daytime dramas and talk shows as their favorite shows to watch did not score as well as those who listed
other shows. However, Dr. Joshua Fogel of Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, the man who conducted
the tests, was quick to point out this doesn't mean there's a direct link between stupid daytime shows and actually
being stupid. Heck, if seeing stupid things on TV actually made you stupid this whole blog would be completely
unreadable since we'd all be drooling and banging on our keyboards with our foreheads. Anyway, the research hasn't
really proved anything, except their MIGHT be a connection between the shows we choose to watch and our own cognitive
ability. Well, I know Grover's demonstration of "near" and "far" has helped me tremendously with my
grasp of spatial relations, so maybe they're right.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
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Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-20-2006 @ 1:25PM
Jon said...
I think the study could be right on. TV is very pacifying. TV is not very challenging for your brain. TV should only be used when your brain is too tired for any real challenges.
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3-21-2006 @ 12:02AM
Canton said...
TV can be as pacifying or as challenging as you make it, Jon. Maybe these avid TV watchers here at TV Squad aren't "drooling and banging on [their] keyboards with [their] foreheads" because they actively think about TV before they watch it, after watch it and, presumably, while they watch it. Surely that's how they survive stuff like The Oscars?
And maybe the ol' ladies content to lose themselves in the daytime soaps wouldn't do so well watching more intelligent fare, such as Arrested Development or... The Office, even. Not shows to watch when your brain is tired. Or do they wake up your brain? That woudl be a good thing.
The circle of cognitive ability. Gotta love it.
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