Are You Losing Your Life To Television? Few people realize the number of issues that television causes in our life.

你是不是把生活浪費在看電視上嗎?很少有人會意識到看電視給生活帶來的種種弊端。

While many people will argue that a little bit of TV never hurt anyone, the amount of a “little bit” is constantly in debate. A Neilson report found that the average American watches more than 34 hours of television each week.

很多人會反駁說看小會兒電視無傷大雅，但關于“一小會兒”是多久存在爭議。尼爾森報告指出，美國人平均每周看電視的時間超過34個小時。

If that number doesn’t shock you I don’t know what will. If you’re now thinking “Those people are crazy—I’d never watch that much” then I invite you to do your own maths. Simply write down all the shows you watched this week and how long they were (including commercials if it was live) plus movies, YouTube videos, etc. and work out roughly how much time you spent in front of the screen.

如果這個數字沒有讓你感到震驚，我不知道還有什么能讓你驚呆。如果你現在在想“這些人太瘋狂了，我可不要看那么久”，那么我請你自己算算。寫下這周你看過的電視劇，你看了多久(包括直播的廣告時間)，還可以算上看過的電影、YouTube視頻等等，然后大概計算出你在電視前駐留了多久。

That number is how many hours you’re losing each week to television. This is time that could be spent with your family, friends or relaxing in other ways. Today we’ll look at some more reasons why you should stop watching television, and how it will improve your life.

那個數值就是你每周浪費在看電視上的時間。你可以把這些時間用在陪伴家人、朋友，以及進行其它方式的放松。今天，我們會說說其它更多不看電視的理由，以及不看電視可以如何提升你的生活質量。

1. Wasting Time

浪費時間

It’s pretty obvious that when you’re watching TV you’re not doing anything else. Time spent watching television is similar to being asleep. The question is whether you want to spend even more time in your precious day asleep.

很顯然，當你在看電視時，你就做不了任何其它事。花時間看電視，類似于把時間用在睡覺上。問題在于，你是否想花更多的時間在前一天的睡覺上。

2. Missing Out on Social Interaction

錯失社交活動

Every hour you spend in front of the TV is another hour you’re not making the most of your life. You could be playing with your family, hanging out with friends or doing an activity you enjoy. Connection is one of the basic human needs we all have and it will never be fulfilled by your television set.

你花在看電視上的每一個小時就是你沒能活出精彩生活的另一個小時。你可以和家人一起玩耍，和朋友一起出門閑逛，或是做你喜歡做的事。聯系，是我們擁有的一個基本的人類需求，而看電視是無法滿足的。

3. Programming Yourself with Negativity

給自己灌輸了負面情緒

Just about every television show, from comedies to drama to reality TV and the news, is negative. If you look at almost any TV show there is a complete lack of positive redeeming messages. While there are exceptions to this rule they are few and far between, so choose carefully what you decide to spend your time watching.

每一檔電視節目都帶有負面因素，從喜劇和戲劇，到真人秀節目和資訊。如果你把每一檔節目都看遍，你會發現電視節目里完全缺失了正面積極的訊息。雖然也存在例外，但例外是少之又少，因此，請慎重選擇你決定要花時間觀看的節目。

4. TV Poisons Your Belief Systems

電視毒害了你的信念

In comedies, we laugh at the stupid/overweight/socially awkward/different people. The news is filled with stories of pain/suffering/disaster/death, and arguing and drama has to be about problems in order to create the drama. All of this is affecting your outlook on life and the way you see the world.

在喜劇里，我們嘲笑那些愚蠢的、肥胖的、有社交障礙的、以及各色人群。故事里充滿了苦痛、災難和死亡，為了創造戲劇效果，爭論和劇情都是圍繞這些問題開展的。所有的這一切都在影響你的人生觀，以及你看待世界的方式。

5. It Creates Unrealistic Expectation

它萌發了不切實際的期望

Television distorts our understanding of reality. It’s filled with beautiful people doing amazing things and having great adventures every show. Ask any TV or movie star with half a brain and they’ll tell you that the images you see of them on the screen and magazine covers are completely fake.

電視節目扭曲了我們對現實的理解。在每一部電視劇里，都有帥哥靚女，他們做著令人驚喜的事情，經歷著偉大的冒險之旅。問問任何一位電視或電影明星，只要他們頭腦還算清醒，他們會告訴你，你在屏幕上和雜志封面看到的形象完全是假的。

6. Feelings of Inadequacy

生活不滿足感

Life is never going to be like a TV show and this can make people very disillusioned when they compare it with their real life. The messages within television imply on a regular basis that we’re not pretty/smart/funny enough. Our lives can feel quite empty when compared to the perfection of the TV world.

生活永遠不會像一檔電視節目一樣，當人們把電視節目與他們的現實生活做過比較之后，他們的幻想就會破滅。電視里傳達的訊息是基于常態之上的，它暗示著我們不夠漂亮、不夠聰明、不夠風趣。跟電視世界里的完美相比，我們會感覺生活過得很空虛。

7. Subliminal Programming and Advertising

隱性暗示和隱性廣告

Make no mistake that there is only one reason why television exists, and that is to sell products. Every single part of every single TV program is designed to keep you in front of the TV and prepped to buy the advertised products through traditional advertising or product placements.

毫無疑問，電視的存在只為一個原因，那就是銷售產品。每一檔電視節目的每一個環節都是為了讓你駐留在電視機前，準備通過傳統的廣告方式或植入式廣告讓你購買廣告中的產品。

Television is designed to make you feel bad so you will buy products that make you feel better. It’s the ultimate in mind control systems. Companies figured out how to get us to voluntarily brainwash ourselves for their benefit.

電視就是為了讓你感覺不舒服，所以你就會購買讓你感覺良好的產品。這是控制思想系統的最終原則。那些公司想出了如何讓我們心甘情愿地為了他們的利益而對自己洗腦。

8. It Degrades Your Self Control and Discipline

它會減弱你的自制和自律

Thanks to the incredible psychological hooks that television uses, it’s very hard to stop watching it. We lose our self control and cannot turn off the television even though we may want to. As this continues, our self control and discipline decrease even further and the harder the battle becomes.

正是由于電視節目利用了難以置信的心理鉤子，做到不繼續觀看是很難的。即使我們可能想要這樣做，我們也會失去自制力，從而沒能關掉電視。這樣持續下去，我們的自制和自律會進一步減弱，這場戰役也就變得更加艱難。

9. The Health Effects of Sitting Down

坐著對健康的影響

We now live a more sedentary life than ever before with most people having jobs behind a desk. We compound this problem when we go home and sit down in front of the TV as well, because the electrical activity in our muscles stops when we’re sitting. Research is showing even the most basic movement of walking or moving our bodies in subtle ways can make a big difference to our health.

比起從前，現在的我們坐得更久，因為我們大多數的工作都是坐在辦公室的辦公桌后完成的。當我們回家了，坐在電視機前，我們又在重復這一生活方式，因為當我們坐著的時候，我們肌肉里的脈沖活動會停止。研究顯示，即使是最基本的走路或是輕微地移動我們的身體也能對我們的身體產生很大的影響。

10. We Teach Our Children These Habits

我們教會了我們的孩子這些習慣

Children are now being trained to watch TV and live a sedentary lifestyle. There is a lot of research showing the negative effects on a child’s development due to both inactivity and the influence of television. Your children will imitate your lifestyle. so any choice you make will be echoed in the generations that follow.

孩子們被你訓練出接受看電視和久坐不動的生活方式。大量的研究顯示，不運動和看電視帶來的影響將對孩子的發展產生負面作用。你的孩子會模仿你的生活方式。所以你做的任何一個選擇將會被下一代效仿。

11. Is It Really Relaxing?

這真的是放松嗎?

My personal argument for watching TV is that it’s easy. You stop working for the day and get to relax and turn off your brain for a while, but the reality is that what is easy for us is hardly ever the best thing.

我個人關于看電視的觀點是簡單的。你停止工作，尋求放松，讓你的大腦清閑一會兒，但現實是對我們來說容易的事幾乎沒有是最好的。

I also get to relax when I’m out at a kung fu or dance class. I get to relax when I’m hanging out with friends or spending time with my girlfriend. I also get to relax when reading a book, listening to uplifting audio or even watching uplifting videos (like TED talks or educational materials).

當我參加功夫或舞蹈課時我也可以放松。當我與朋友外出或者花時間陪我的女朋友時，我也可以放松。當我閱讀書籍，聽讓人開心的音頻文件甚至是看令人振奮的視頻(像TED演講或教育類題材時)，我也可以放松。

We get one life to live and it’s up to us to make the most of it. Every hour of the day is an investment that pays off right now and in our future. Invest wisely and your life will actually be filled with truly beautiful people doing amazing things and having great adventures.

我們只活一次，讓我們來充分把握它。一天中的每一個小時都是一份投資，它會在現在或是在將來給你回報。明智地投資，那么在你的生活里也會出現帥哥靚女，他們做著令人驚喜的事情，經歷著偉大的冒險之旅。

Are You Losing Your Life To Television? Few people realize the number of issues that television causes in our life.

你是不是把生活浪費在看電視上嗎?很少有人會意識到看電視給生活帶來的種種弊端。

While many people will argue that a little bit of TV never hurt anyone, the amount of a “little bit” is constantly in debate. A Neilson report found that the average American watches more than 34 hours of television each week.

很多人會反駁說看小會兒電視無傷大雅，但關于“一小會兒”是多久存在爭議。尼爾森報告指出，美國人平均每周看電視的時間超過34個小時。

If that number doesn’t shock you I don’t know what will. If you’re now thinking “Those people are crazy—I’d never watch that much” then I invite you to do your own maths. Simply write down all the shows you watched this week and how long they were (including commercials if it was live) plus movies, YouTube videos, etc. and work out roughly how much time you spent in front of the screen.

如果這個數字沒有讓你感到震驚，我不知道還有什么能讓你驚呆。如果你現在在想“這些人太瘋狂了，我可不要看那么久”，那么我請你自己算算。寫下這周你看過的電視劇，你看了多久(包括直播的廣告時間)，還可以算上看過的電影、YouTube視頻等等，然后大概計算出你在電視前駐留了多久。

That number is how many hours you’re losing each week to television. This is time that could be spent with your family, friends or relaxing in other ways. Today we’ll look at some more reasons why you should stop watching television, and how it will improve your life.

那個數值就是你每周浪費在看電視上的時間。你可以把這些時間用在陪伴家人、朋友，以及進行其它方式的放松。今天，我們會說說其它更多不看電視的理由，以及不看電視可以如何提升你的生活質量。

1. Wasting Time

浪費時間

It’s pretty obvious that when you’re watching TV you’re not doing anything else. Time spent watching television is similar to being asleep. The question is whether you want to spend even more time in your precious day asleep.

很顯然，當你在看電視時，你就做不了任何其它事。花時間看電視，類似于把時間用在睡覺上。問題在于，你是否想花更多的時間在前一天的睡覺上。

2. Missing Out on Social Interaction

錯失社交活動

Every hour you spend in front of the TV is another hour you’re not making the most of your life. You could be playing with your family, hanging out with friends or doing an activity you enjoy. Connection is one of the basic human needs we all have and it will never be fulfilled by your television set.

你花在看電視上的每一個小時就是你沒能活出精彩生活的另一個小時。你可以和家人一起玩耍，和朋友一起出門閑逛，或是做你喜歡做的事。聯系，是我們擁有的一個基本的人類需求，而看電視是無法滿足的。

3. Programming Yourself with Negativity

給自己灌輸了負面情緒

Just about every television show, from comedies to drama to reality TV and the news, is negative. If you look at almost any TV show there is a complete lack of positive redeeming messages. While there are exceptions to this rule they are few and far between, so choose carefully what you decide to spend your time watching.

每一檔電視節目都帶有負面因素，從喜劇和戲劇，到真人秀節目和資訊。如果你把每一檔節目都看遍，你會發現電視節目里完全缺失了正面積極的訊息。雖然也存在例外，但例外是少之又少，因此，請慎重選擇你決定要花時間觀看的節目。

4. TV Poisons Your Belief Systems

電視毒害了你的信念

In comedies, we laugh at the stupid/overweight/socially awkward/different people. The news is filled with stories of pain/suffering/disaster/death, and arguing and drama has to be about problems in order to create the drama. All of this is affecting your outlook on life and the way you see the world.

在喜劇里，我們嘲笑那些愚蠢的、肥胖的、有社交障礙的、以及各色人群。故事里充滿了苦痛、災難和死亡，為了創造戲劇效果，爭論和劇情都是圍繞這些問題開展的。所有的這一切都在影響你的人生觀，以及你看待世界的方式。

5. It Creates Unrealistic Expectation

它萌發了不切實際的期望

Television distorts our understanding of reality. It’s filled with beautiful people doing amazing things and having great adventures every show. Ask any TV or movie star with half a brain and they’ll tell you that the images you see of them on the screen and magazine covers are completely fake.

電視節目扭曲了我們對現實的理解。在每一部電視劇里，都有帥哥靚女，他們做著令人驚喜的事情，經歷著偉大的冒險之旅。問問任何一位電視或電影明星，只要他們頭腦還算清醒，他們會告訴你，你在屏幕上和雜志封面看到的形象完全是假的。

6. Feelings of Inadequacy

生活不滿足感

Life is never going to be like a TV show and this can make people very disillusioned when they compare it with their real life. The messages within television imply on a regular basis that we’re not pretty/smart/funny enough. Our lives can feel quite empty when compared to the perfection of the TV world.

生活永遠不會像一檔電視節目一樣，當人們把電視節目與他們的現實生活做過比較之后，他們的幻想就會破滅。電視里傳達的訊息是基于常態之上的，它暗示著我們不夠漂亮、不夠聰明、不夠風趣。跟電視世界里的完美相比，我們會感覺生活過得很空虛。

7. Subliminal Programming and Advertising

隱性暗示和隱性廣告

Make no mistake that there is only one reason why television exists, and that is to sell products. Every single part of every single TV program is designed to keep you in front of the TV and prepped to buy the advertised products through traditional advertising or product placements.

毫無疑問，電視的存在只為一個原因，那就是銷售產品。每一檔電視節目的每一個環節都是為了讓你駐留在電視機前，準備通過傳統的廣告方式或植入式廣告讓你購買廣告中的產品。

Television is designed to make you feel bad so you will buy products that make you feel better. It’s the ultimate in mind control systems. Companies figured out how to get us to voluntarily brainwash ourselves for their benefit.

電視就是為了讓你感覺不舒服，所以你就會購買讓你感覺良好的產品。這是控制思想系統的最終原則。那些公司想出了如何讓我們心甘情愿地為了他們的利益而對自己洗腦。

8. It Degrades Your Self Control and Discipline

它會減弱你的自制和自律

Thanks to the incredible psychological hooks that television uses, it’s very hard to stop watching it. We lose our self control and cannot turn off the television even though we may want to. As this continues, our self control and discipline decrease even further and the harder the battle becomes.

正是由于電視節目利用了難以置信的心理鉤子，做到不繼續觀看是很難的。即使我們可能想要這樣做，我們也會失去自制力，從而沒能關掉電視。這樣持續下去，我們的自制和自律會進一步減弱，這場戰役也就變得更加艱難。

9. The Health Effects of Sitting Down

坐著對健康的影響

We now live a more sedentary life than ever before with most people having jobs behind a desk. We compound this problem when we go home and sit down in front of the TV as well, because the electrical activity in our muscles stops when we’re sitting. Research is showing even the most basic movement of walking or moving our bodies in subtle ways can make a big difference to our health.

比起從前，現在的我們坐得更久，因為我們大多數的工作都是坐在辦公室的辦公桌后完成的。當我們回家了，坐在電視機前，我們又在重復這一生活方式，因為當我們坐著的時候，我們肌肉里的脈沖活動會停止。研究顯示，即使是最基本的走路或是輕微地移動我們的身體也能對我們的身體產生很大的影響。

10. We Teach Our Children These Habits

我們教會了我們的孩子這些習慣

Children are now being trained to watch TV and live a sedentary lifestyle. There is a lot of research showing the negative effects on a child’s development due to both inactivity and the influence of television. Your children will imitate your lifestyle. so any choice you make will be echoed in the generations that follow.

孩子們被你訓練出接受看電視和久坐不動的生活方式。大量的研究顯示，不運動和看電視帶來的影響將對孩子的發展產生負面作用。你的孩子會模仿你的生活方式。所以你做的任何一個選擇將會被下一代效仿。

11. Is It Really Relaxing?

這真的是放松嗎?

My personal argument for watching TV is that it’s easy. You stop working for the day and get to relax and turn off your brain for a while, but the reality is that what is easy for us is hardly ever the best thing.

我個人關于看電視的觀點是簡單的。你停止工作，尋求放松，讓你的大腦清閑一會兒，但現實是對我們來說容易的事幾乎沒有是最好的。

I also get to relax when I’m out at a kung fu or dance class. I get to relax when I’m hanging out with friends or spending time with my girlfriend. I also get to relax when reading a book, listening to uplifting audio or even watching uplifting videos (like TED talks or educational materials).

當我參加功夫或舞蹈課時我也可以放松。當我與朋友外出或者花時間陪我的女朋友時，我也可以放松。當我閱讀書籍，聽讓人開心的音頻文件甚至是看令人振奮的視頻(像TED演講或教育類題材時)，我也可以放松。

We get one life to live and it’s up to us to make the most of it. Every hour of the day is an investment that pays off right now and in our future. Invest wisely and your life will actually be filled with truly beautiful people doing amazing things and having great adventures.

我們只活一次，讓我們來充分把握它。一天中的每一個小時都是一份投資，它會在現在或是在將來給你回報。明智地投資，那么在你的生活里也會出現帥哥靚女，他們做著令人驚喜的事情，經歷著偉大的冒險之旅。