Couch Potato: Watching TV Shows Can Be Good For You?
Posted on: 1 December 2015
You probably heard that watching too much television is bad for you. Yes, you should exercise for your health, but television may actually be helpful as long as you know what you are watching. The following should help illuminate a different side of TV that you might not have thought about before.
Intellectual Enrichment
Television shows may help increase certain cognitive functions as long as you know what to look for. You can look for educational shows, like the following:
- DIY (do it yourself) television shows
- Lesson-driven shows, like science or nature-centered shows
These type of shows are not the only ones that may help increase your mental prowess. You can find mental engagement in everything from intense dramas and action shows to science fiction and even sitcoms. The trick is to find television shows that--even though dressed in different genres--are still soap operas. The following are just some of the characteristics you should consider:
- Multiple story lines with multiple characters
- Story lines that leak into several episodes, perhaps the entire series
- Several character arcs that last for longer than one episode
Experts note that, aside from soap operas, these types of television shows started around the 80's and on. Television shows of this caliber should help with the following:
- Attention
- Retention, which could last for an entire season
- Patience
- The ability to connect multiple threads
This should definitely open you up to several types of television shows to seek and possibly start watching.
Increase Energy & Mental Boost
Yes, you read that correctly; a study showed that watching television might increase your energy levels and give you a mental boost. The trick lies in watching a television show that you've grown to love. Apparently watching a rerun helps you interact with characters you love, which should give peace as well as energize your mental and physical state. The findings showed that, after watching your favorite television show, you may be more inclined to finish tasks, do better with complex problems, like puzzles, and give you a little more self-control.
You should look for some of the old television shows you used to watch or describe the characters to a TV show expert like Pristine Sales if you don't remember the names of the shows. Or find newer shows that are soap opera-like if you would prefer a show that may challenge your mind. But you can see that you can benefit from being a couch potato, at least part of the day.
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