Articles: Can Watching Television Make you Smarter?

CAN WATCHING TELEVISION MAKE YOU SMARTER?

There are several television shows currently airing that are quite demanding of their viewers' intellect levels. For example, Steven Johnson argues that watching and understanding cognitive shows such as 24 requires much more perception and information integration than any show aired ten years ago.

Compounding this effect is the new penchant for high paced cuts and biting dialogue. Popular shows today are edited for speed, packing much more information into each scene than ever before. Between high levels of information and a fast-paced delivery, many viewers have moved beyond passively staring at the screen.

Informational television

Of course, there is also the more obvious benefits of informational television, designed to teach as well as entertain. News magazines, documentaries, and reality based how-to shows are all growing in popularity. Although quality and value vary from show to show, as a whole the concept of educational television serves its purpose of improving the knowledge base of its viewers.

Comedy Makes You Smarter Too

According to a study conducted by the Wisconsin's Marquette University psychology department, watching comedy television can make viewers smarter. In their study, researchers Mark Powless and Kristy Neilson looked at people's ability to turn short-term stimulus into long-term memories.

During the study, Powless and Neilson read a list of words to participants. Thirty minutes later half of the participants watched a single comedy clip. After one week, all of the participants were tested again to see how many words they could recall from the original list - of course, those who watched the comedy sketch performed an average of 50-100% better than those who did not.

Educational Television for Children

Can the generations of Sesame Street kids be wrong? Many television shows currently aired for children are designed to serve more than entertainment purposes. Educational programming, particularly for preschool-aged children, is quickly gaining respect as a legitimate learning tool.

Researchers at the University of Texas followed the television viewing habits of 200 children aged two to seven, for a period of three years. These children's reading, math, and vocabulary skills were also closely assessed. The resulting data indicates that children who watch a few hours of educational television each week scored higher than those who watched none.

It Is Not Always About Intelligence

Of course, there are television shows that are entirely geared towards entertaining the viewer rather than helping them with their cognitive processes. This does not mean that there is anything wrong with these shows; entertainment - even the mindless variety - plays an important role in our lives. Sometimes we just need to laugh or escape into a fantasy world.

Why does everything have to make us a better, smarter, more insightful individual? As long as it is consumed in moderation, the trashiest of television can be a welcome reward for a long day of more intelligent pursuits.

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