Television and the Hive mind, what we have known subconsciously all along!

This is what we have know all long but couldnt articulate it in scientific terms


Television and the Hive mind

[edit on 30-9-2008 by Epsillion70]

Experiments conducted by researcher Herbert Krugman reveal that, when a person watches television, brain activity switches from the left to the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is the seat of logical thought. Here, information is broken down into its component parts and critically analyzed. The right brain, however, treats incoming data uncritically, processing information in wholes, leading to emotional, rather than logical, responses. The shift from left to right brain activity also causes the release of endorphins, the body's own natural opiates--thus, it is possible to become physically addicted to watching television, a hypothesis borne out by numerous studies which have shown that very few people are able to kick the television habit.

This numbing of the brain's cognitive function is compounded by another shift which occurs in the brain when we watch television. Activity in the higher brain regions (such as the neo-cortex) is diminished, while activity in the lower brain regions (such as the limbic system) increases. The latter, commonly referred to as the reptile brain, is associated with more primitive mental functions, such as the "fight or flight" response. The reptile brain is unable to distinguish between reality and the simulated reality of television. To the reptile brain, if it looks real, it is real. Thus, though we know on a conscious level it is "only a film," on a conscious level we do not--the heart beats faster, for instance, while we watch a suspenseful scene. Similarly, we know the commercial is trying to manipulate us, but on an unconscious level the commercial nonetheless succeeds in, say, making us feel inadequate until we buy whatever thing is being advertised--and the effect is all the more powerful because it is unconscious, operating on the deepest level of human response. The reptile brain makes it possible for us to survive as biological beings, but it also leaves us vulnerable to the manipulations of television programmers.

[edit on 30-9-2008 by Epsillion70]

more particualry, other than content, WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF LOOKING AT A COMPUTER MONITOR, is it as bad as looking at a television.

2. also since television is being changed to digital soon, is there a difference in how digital or not digital affects the brain, how about hi-def or not, plasma?, or say one that is redered to appear 3d.

Originally posted by Epsillion70
This is what we have know all long but couldnt articulate it in scientific terms


Television and the Hive mind

[edit on 30-9-2008 by Epsillion70]

I knew about these scientific findings for a while, but always a wonderful reminder of why I heavily abstain from watching t.v.

Krugman also had findings of how, after watching less than a minute of t.v. your brain voluntarily slips into the alpha wave state. The television is able to manipulate your brainwaves !
Movies can be just as bad as the television, however, but once you know how their minds work, their ploy ceases to work on your mind. It just doesn't work when you actively keep your brain in the beta wave state 12-34 cycles per second, or beyond.

The article is rather well articulated.

Great post

Originally posted by iiinvision

Originally posted by Epsillion70
This is what we have know all long but couldnt articulate it in scientific terms


Television and the Hive mind

[edit on 30-9-2008 by Epsillion70]

I knew about these scientific findings for a while, but always a wonderful reminder of why I heavily abstain from watching t.v.

Krugman also had findings of how, after watching less than a minute of t.v. your brain voluntarily slips into the alpha wave state. The television is able to manipulate your brainwaves !
Movies can be just as bad as the television, however, but once you know how their minds work, their ploy ceases to work on your mind. It just doesn't work when you actively keep your brain in the beta wave state 12-34 cycles per second, or beyond.

The article is rather well articulated.

Great post

Yeah it all got me thinking again on how insidious tv can be.
I have always tried to think about what I am thinking when I have watched tv. But it also hit it home to me more that I got to keep,
" watching the watcher "after I read this article in great depth with its actual scientific findings etc.
And to think I always thought that TV was a benign and friendly babysitter.

I am definately changing me viewing habits now.