The Gloom Tube

A study first printed in the December 2008 issue of SIR (Social Indicators Research) shows that unhappy people spend more time watching television than happy people. This information comes via John Robinson and Steven Martin from the University of Maryland, who examined the data of 30,000 adults in the United States. The data itself was collected over a 30 year period (1975-2006).

Of key interest:

(1) Unhappy people watched television 20% more on average than happy people, despite controlling factors like education, etc. One press release stated the difference in hours of consumption as 25 hours per week for unhappy people versus 19 hours per week for happy people.

(2) Also, the data showed that unhappy people felt slightly more "rushed for time" than happy people (35% versus 23%) and were burdened more by "unwanted extra time" (51% versus 19%).

(3) The study notes the connection between the mass availability of television and its easy replacement for social activities, either due to limited resources, poor social skills in general, or chronic depression.

Sources:
* "Watching Television, Channeling Unhappiness?" (Science Daily)

* "Unhappy People Watch Lots More TV" (Yahoo LiveScience)