”An hour in front of a TV is an hour of your life lost.” A German named Horst spoke these melancholic words September 11, 2010 on www.hereiwalk, a website created by an American couple, Sarah and Andrew Wilson, who in September and October 2010 are retracing the steps of Martin Luther’s trek from Erfurt, Germany to Rome in 1515. Many agree with this assessment, especially educators and parents.
Nevertheless, prolonged TV watching has even more consequences according to Emily Mann, www.Rodale.com, May 6, 2010 on Yahoo.com September 8, 2010. This popular medium not only promotes obesity, but can lead to depression!
Furthermore, a study showed that even 30 minutes of exercise after two hours of TV viewing do little to reduce the associated anxiety and depression. Where are the endorphins which the brain secretes during vigorous exercise and which normally promote a feeling of well-being? What happened to them? There are no clear answers. Obviously, if this turns out of be a large problem, more research is needed. So far it is not a major issue.
But television is not defenseless. It renders useful information, training and entertainment. Its problem is that much of its programming is basically mindless and stimulates neither body nor brain
