Researches shows that the average Americans watches as much as 6 hours Essay

Researches shows that the average Americans watches as much as 6 hours of television each day, do you think this is too much Wr - Essay Example Since many people especially the youth prefer watching episodes that have violence, this source of entertainment has a negative effect on how they view violence in society. According to Sheppard, an American child sees up to eight thousand murders before completing elementary school, which translates to about 200,000 violent acts by the time that child, is eighteen. There is also a scientific connection between watching violent movies and violence in real life where scientists have confirmed that there is a relation between watching aggressive acts and performing such acts in real life. Therefore, although television is an entertainment source, watching it for a long time has becomes bad when one begins imitating what they have seen on television. Those who argue that television is a good source of relieving stress claim that it enables them to forget the problems they have in life and be able to enjoy themselves. Those with this view clam that television does not only entertain, but it also offers them a chance to find something to laugh about after they have encountered a stressful day in their regular activities. However, this cannot be true since instead of relieving the stress one has, television creates a distraction where you are transferred from the realities of life to a world of fantasy and imaginations. What is presented to the viewer is mere acting that makes you forget the problems for a while but they are still there. According to Blesi, Wise, and Kelley-Arney (74) watching television is part of withdrawal behavior where an individual avoids dealing with an issue that is related to a painful or difficult situation. This implies that those who watch television for a long period are escapists who do not want to deal with the realities that come with their real life and instead choose to watch programs on television some of which presents ideal situations where everything is okay and people are happy. Such individuals will not give themselves a chanc e to go past the issue that is stressing them since they sped the time for self-reflections on television instead of spending such time analyzing the situation as it is and proactively coming up with possible solutions. Although those who watch television for long hours claim that it’s a leisure activity or among their hobbies, watching television wastes time as a person stays for a long time glued to the television set. Long hours of television viewing prevent an individual from engaging in other processes that will add more benefits. According to Sheppard (106), an average of six hours and forty-seven minutes are spent watching television daily in USA which translate to those of age sixty five having spent up to nine years watching television. Nine years can be spent doing many important things in life. One can earn a lot of money if engaged in economic activities. The time could also be spent undertaking an educational or vocational training that will be more beneficial to the individual as opposed to spending that time watching television. Although it true that watching television is a leisure activity, spending many hours on the sofa set can cause weight gain. Edelstein and Sharlin (91) notes television contributes to weight gain since it reduces physical activities, increases calories as one consumes more and the level of resting metabolism is low for such individuals. According to Nonas and Foster