Lifespan Shortened by TV Watching

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine said TV watching can shorten one’s lifespan by twenty-two minutes for each hour watched. It also said individuals who watch TV for six hours on average, live five years less than people who don’t watch it at all. It isn’t just the TV watching that is the problem, it is the sedentary lifestyle associated with watching TV. People who don’t exercise are much more prone to obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and excessive TV watching means a person’s waking hours are organized in part around not moving very much. The study noted that TV watching can be compared to other unhealthy activities, such as smoking, for impact on lifespans, “the data discovered in the study proposes watching TV can be as dangerous as pre-established life expectancy lowering behaviors like smoking and not getting enough exercise. For every cigarette smoked, a smoker loses 11 minutes of his or her life, which is exactly half the amount reduced by watching an hour of television.” (Source: IBTimes.com)

Another potential contributor to the unhealthy practice of excessive TV watching is the fact some people eat junk food while watching it, or overeat while watching it because they are less likely to pay attention to how much they are eating. The study analyzed data from 11,000 people 25 years old and above from Australia. TV watching could also said to reduce ones lifespan because it literally means one is not participating in life, instead choosing a passive, virtual reality which is often more about escapism than reality.

Some people are not particularly concerned with such research studies and use the relative risk concept–they would rather engage in hedonistic pursuits for the pleasure involved, knowing there are risks, and thus taking their chances. Others are more disciplined and limit their “screen time”–whether it is TV, computer or mobile device use.

Image Credit: Public Domain

Read more: Fitness, General Health, Health, Home, life, TV

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Past Member .

7:38PM PDT on Apr 10, 2012

I havent owned a TV in 7 years, but this computer is its evil twin.....

send a green star

Angela N.

11:46AM PDT on Apr 8, 2012

thank you :)

New G.

2:35AM PST on Feb 23, 2012

Thank you.

Anne G.

2:26PM PST on Feb 18, 2012

Seems a bit far-fetched to me, but it's certainly better not to become a couch potato.

Teresa W.

5:37AM PDT on Aug 30, 2011

Fortunately, I don't watch much TV. :-)

Jani O.

1:15AM PDT on Aug 23, 2011

how minutes am i losing by being on the computer reading this? haha

Diana S.

1:58PM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

I'll gladly give up 5 years for Game of Thrones.

But I am trying to lessen the time I spend sitting down. Thanks for the info!

Carolyn J.

9:33AM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

I love this. Hopefully my bf will cut back a bit on his tv once he reads this article.

Cynthia J.

5:31AM PDT on Aug 22, 2011

thanks for the explanation, since I hardly ever sit down to do anything this is not a problem. I would say that sitting & doing nothing is the problem. I don't blame TV I blame lazy people.