Mood Enhancers

Today I would like to briefly talk about how television can change or alter your mood! Something I seem to re-learn over and over again is how too much T.V. can make create feelings of restlessness, irritation and short-tempered. It seems after a binge of Netflix shows (currently I'm into Ugly Betty) I am prone to feelings of apathy as I put off my homework for that day, view my husband's actions as annoying and that the consequences of tomorrow won't come. I experienced this last weekend after I watched a few too many episodes of "Ugly Betty," and when my husband asked me if I had done my homework I immediately answered angrily and acted annoyed. I couldn't believe what I had done and realized how much of addiction the television was becoming for me. I got these off of a website for addiction:
Behavioral signs of addiction:

• Drop in attendance and performance at work or school 
• Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow or steal to get it. 
• Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors 
• Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies 

 Psychological warning signs:

•  Unexplained change in personality or attitude 
• Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts 
• Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness 
• Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out” 
• Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason

Now I know I don't have quite a few of these, but some of them sound like me after I repeatedly watch Netflix-- especially the psychological symptoms. This reminded me of a study Dr. Coyne talked about in which a group of students in a classroom hear a researcher-stimulated fight outside the classroom (one person gets "injured"). For the group having watched violent video games minutes before the fight, it took them longer twice as long to respond to the injured person compared to the college students who had played family-friendly video games. 

Overall, maybe there's a deal of aggression that comes from watching television and movies as well as video games. Especially, when we have watched the media source for an extended period of time and if T.V. is being used as a coping mechanism. Addictions can take us on a violent path and I believe that T.V. can be a tool of destruction if we allow ourselves to become slaves to it.