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I haven't watched TV since 1969. I worked in it for decades, and knew enough not to watch it. It makes you stupid, and my colleagues in the networks agree! Some of them would point out what a verbal beating they'd get from friends who actually saw what got broadcast. When you work in most aspects of TV, you rarely have time to watch what's going out.

—source

Are there any peer reviewed studies supporting this myth? Surely documentaries don't, right?

I would like to see both correlation and causation.

Sklivvz
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    Wow... I started reading your quote and though "That sounds like Ken Rockwell." It's sad I was right. – Flimzy Oct 09 '11 at 18:39
  • @Flimzy Unfortunately, much smarter people than him fall prey to the same fallacy. – Konrad Rudolph Oct 10 '11 at 16:30
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    Independent of the program seen and independent from the age? And compared to what - watching out the window? – user unknown Jan 07 '12 at 22:43
  • @userunknown yep, the claim is about the use of the television, i.e. programs can be good or bad, but sitting in front of a TV set will have a bad effect on your intelligence anyways. – Sklivvz Jan 08 '12 at 00:26
  • Even small amounts, like 30 minutes per day for a 10y'o, or 1½h for an adult? – user unknown Jan 08 '12 at 01:32
  • @userunknown I don't know. Maybe it's like smoking. Maybe it's not... – Sklivvz Jan 08 '12 at 02:16
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    From reading parts of your cited article, I get the impression it is the content of the TV, which is criticized as barbarian entertainment, not the radiation of waves, nor the fast cuts between scenes. My impression is, that the claim is not serious, and does not fit to your explanation, since he says: "I remember when Bravo and A&E broadcast good stuff, but it only appealed to educated people, so today they're down in the mud wrestling with everyone else." which basically means, that clever people are immune - with other words: TV is for stupids, it doesn't make you stupid. – user unknown Jan 08 '12 at 03:01
  • And then he says: "Movies are OK because they are art, like a painting, a play or a symphony. You have to pay to watch them." So it does only fit some forms of US-TV. Not movies for example, which maybe is pay-TV in the US, but not so here in Germany, and I don't know for Spain, Brazil, the Iran, India, China and so on. I can watch TV for 24h without seeing a single ad. I'm a bit surprised he doesn't talk about sport. Don't you have much sports in the TV? We have. – user unknown Jan 08 '12 at 03:05
  • Well...I don't know the answer to whether or not it makes one stupid, but if it does then my intelligence level would have been on par with god if I only didn't watch TV. Think of the possibilities if I only didn't watch TV and didn't lose those extra intelligence cells. I could have solved world hunger and created world peace. Oh well, I guess I'd better get back to watching Oprah. – Dunk Jan 09 '12 at 20:48
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    Well, if it's a TV show that makes you stupid, then sure. Looking at a glowing box does not decrease intelligence. – Tortoise Feb 03 '12 at 23:15
  • Shouldn't the question be 'can anyone prove that watching TV makes you intelligent?' – Edd Turner Mar 11 '12 at 19:20
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    Assuming you would otherwise be spending your time becoming 'smarter'... yes. – Mateen Ulhaq Apr 21 '12 at 04:41
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    The only way to answer this question is to make it quantifiable. What does "stupid" mean? If the question were phrased in a way that an effect could be measured, that would allow for accurate results to be gathered and would make for an interesting study. What does it mean to "make you stupid"? Does that imply anything regarding whether or not the effect is lasting. – funkymushroom May 25 '12 at 21:50
  • It means decrease your IQ, or causes poorer performance in school, etc. It doesn't really matter as long as there's ANY proof. – Sklivvz May 25 '12 at 22:16
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    Given the amount of crap on TV these days (or in media in general), I would say yes. – Mircea Chirea Jun 18 '12 at 23:00
  • It really depends on what you watch. I like to watch ted talks and documentaries. Does that make me stupid? – Tjaart Jun 20 '12 at 12:41
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    "Movies are OK because they are art, like a painting, a play or a symphony." Has he even seen a movie recently? – DJClayworth Jul 26 '12 at 20:17

1 Answers1

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Watching television does not negatively affect intelligence.

Since your brain is recognizing visual input, it is in fact creating neural associations that were not already in place. No matter what you watch, the brain is busy either creating new associations (learning) or recalling previous associations (remembering) [On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins, Cognitive Evolution by Alice Travis, The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil].

In this way, you cannot become "more stupid" just by receiving visual input even if it is from a television (assuming the person is not susceptible to seizures or has some other input processing disorder)

However, there are several studies that suggest that prolonged exposure to television can negatively affect attention span (especially in children) ["Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children" by Dimitri A. Christakis, et. al]. Also it is possible for various parts of the eye and its connections to the brain to be damaged from staring at a digital screen for long periods of time [Visual Ergonomics, Jeffrey Anshel]. Likewise, it has been known for quite some time that long periods of sitting (which watching tv tends to encourage) have negative effects on a person's health ["Television Watching, Energy Intake, and Obesity in US Children" by Carlos J. Crespo, et. al].

There are many more articles on the subject that can be found at scholar.google.com.

Bottom line: The act of receiving visual input from a television does not negatively affect your intelligence. However, prolonged viewing can have negative effects on physical and mental health so go play outside every once in a while :)

Edit - Apologies for the lack of references. They are now included in the answer. Also, thank you @Reuben for pointing out the issue with seizures.

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    no references, brain ≠ intelligence – Ruben Jul 30 '12 at 16:15
  • _On Intelligence_ by Jeff Hawkins, _Cognitive Evolution_ by Alice Travis, _The Singularity is Near_ by Ray Kurzweil, "Television Watching, Energy Intake, and Obesity in US Children" by Carlos J. Crespo, et. al, "Early Television Exposure and Subsequent Attentional Problems in Children" by Dimitri A. Christakis, et. al. And I realize this a network of skeptics, but I'm sorry, the brain and nervous system are for sure the only parts of the body that can be considered to contribute to intelligence –  Jul 30 '12 at 16:49
  • Also, please refer to first three references for my above brain/nervous system functionality comment –  Jul 30 '12 at 17:20
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    I said they aren't the same, not that they don't contribute. An epileptic seizure can harm your brain and intelligence and it can be induced by visual input. – Ruben Jul 30 '12 at 18:37
  • Since I was referring to the functionality of the brain, I assumed you were doing the same. Naturally, the physical brain is not "intelligence" just as a foot/leg is not "walking". The seizure comment is a fair objection as it is true that for some people visual input has the potential to do physical damage to the brain. However, this is essentially me saying "carrots are good for you" and you replying with "not for people who are allergic to carrots." I will make the edit to recognize this though –  Jul 30 '12 at 19:08
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    @degausser: The fact that watching visual input creates new neural connections doesn't tell us anything about whether it increases intelligence. To answer that question you actually need to do some intelligence tests. – Christian Aug 01 '12 at 08:15
  • @Christian The question had nothing to do with whether or not watching tv makes you more intelligent. It asked if watching tv makes you dumb. How intelligent someone is is not determined by how many facts they know so when the person is "learning" while watching tv, they are not becoming more intelligent. I also put "learning" in quotes because I don't want to convey the idea that the person is necessarily gaining anything useful. It may only be Snooki's facial structure or the fact that smurfs are blue. Nevertheless this is a pattern that was not formerly stored in your brain. –  Aug 01 '12 at 14:22
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    @degausser: (1) Being stupid is the opposite of being intelligent. If an activity reduces someone IQ, it makes them stupid according to a meaningful definition of "stupid". (2) Everything you do creates "new patterns in your brain". You don't add any information by declaring that a specific activity does. It's meaninless neurobabble. – Christian Aug 06 '12 at 10:44