An “Electronic Assault on the Brain”

TELEVISION can be entertaining and instructive. However, Professor Moshe Aronson of Tel-​Aviv University warns that excessive TV watching can be hazardous to your health. How?

The passive viewer, Aronson claims, experiences a buildup of tension that cannot be relieved while sitting in front of the television set. This produces stress hormones that at high levels can impair nerve cells in the hippocampus​—an area of the brain that is crucial to memory. While noting that more studies are needed, Aronson suspects that this breakdown can contribute to dementia, perhaps even making one more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease later in life. In any event, New Scientist magazine calls excessive television watching an “electronic assault on the brain.”

In contrast with TV watching, reading stimulates the imagination and stirs the reasoning faculties​—hardly a passive activity! While every sight and sound is interpreted for the TV viewer, the reader creates his own scenery and sound effects. This creative use of the mental powers thwarts mental stagnation, thus benefiting one’s health. In view of this, would it not be wise to limit the amount of time you spend in front of the television set?