What Too Much TV Could Be Doing to Your Brain
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Tube Tap-Out: Remember those old clichés about watching too much TV, that it will rot your brain or turn you into a couch potato? Excessive TV consumption won’t literally do either of those things, but it could make your brain smaller. A new study links heavy TV-watching by middle-aged adults to smaller brain structures and a potentially higher risk of dementia later in life.
The Study: Researchers from the University of Southern California pulled data from 1,712 adults who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Participants had self-reported their sedentary time — watching TV and sitting at work — on their first visit between 1987 and 1989. During their fifth visit (2011–2013), they had MRI brain scans.
The Takeaway: Frequent TV watching was associated with structural changes to the brain. Researchers found smaller frontal and occipital lobes, reduced volume in the memory parts of the brain, and damage to parts of the brain’s white matter that are associated with aging, stroke risk, cognitive decline, and dementia.
Keep in Mind: Sedentary behavior was self-reported, and participants’ recall might not be totally accurate. Plus, the study was observational, so it didn’t find a causal link — only a correlation.
