Does Television Affect Your Intelligence

Watching television has been a favorite thing to do for many people for decades and raises the question; does television affect your intelligence?  Seems like most American families sit down to the TV every night.  In fact have you ever asked yourself what you would do if you didn’t have a TV?

Many researchers through out the world have conducted tests to see to what extent television has affected our intelligence. The research has included all types of people from all backgrounds and age groups. Interestingly enough, there is no solid evidence that our intelligence, per se, is necessarily affected. However, there are other repercussions and we probably should not too surprised at what the researchers discovered.

Of particular concern to me regarding does television affect your intelligence is the affect that it has on small children. Small children need to have creative play, not be sitting in front of a television for too many hours in the day. Studies have shown that children who watch a lot of television have problems in their classes with attention span. This can cause multiple problems in keeping up with their schoolwork.

In addition to small children having problems if they watch too much TV, studies have also shown that teens struggle socially and emotionally. These problems come about if they are spending time in front of the television daily and may be forgoing other activities that can help them grow socially and emotionally. Of special note with teenagers is the attitudes they start to display. Let’s face it, television is not a medium that teaches respect for parents, in particular men. Many shows make men look like idiots, but that is a subject for another article.

If you’ve ever wondered about television and the affect it is having on your family you should implement ways of preventing the negative affects of television.  It is okay to watch some television. But what your children are watching needs to be monitored by the adults in the family. One thing I always tell my children is that anyone who rates a television show does not have the interests of my family at heart. Because you do have the interests of your family at heart, you should be the person who decides what they can watch. Do not depend on the rating systems for TV shows!

To offset the little amount of time your family does spend watching TV, spend plenty of quality time together. One of our favorite nights at our house is family night. A few years ago I decided that Friday nights would be family night because I did not like the types of shows that were on TV on Friday nights.  So every Friday night we play games instead of watching TV. It is times like these that will make a lasting impression on your family.

So in answer to the question, does television affect intelligence, well it may not make your IQ score go down, however, you have to be smart about what you are watching and set time limits for television. Also find creative ways to spend time with your family that does not involve video games or television.