“Video killed the radio star,” sang The Buggles. Television’s not blameless, either, as according to recent research, being a midlife TV addict shrinks your brain, leading to problems in later life.
The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia, discovered that adults who said they watched television “very often” during their 50s had “smaller volumes” in the part of the brain tied to memory. They also showed signs of brain changes, including shrinkage in the frontal and occipital lobes and damage to white matter, that are linked to ageing and a greater risk of stroke, memory and thinking problems, and dementia.
Around 1,700 adults with an average age of 53 were recruited to the study over 20 years ago, before reporting how much television they watched from “never/seldom” to “very often”. “Very often” wasn’t defined as a specific number of hours per day or week. It was simply the highest category of habitual TV viewing reported by participants. Forward to today and MRI measurements detailed the outcome.
Perhaps the most interesting finding is that sitting at work and watching television produced very different associations with brain health. People who sat a lot at cognitively demanding jobs didn’t show the same adverse brain changes seen in frequent television viewers. Problem-solving, focus, and intellectual stimulation were high compared to sinking into the sofa and passively engaging with the box in the corner.
A currently unexplainable takeaway from the study is that men were more vulnerable to these brain detriments than women. The study also didn’t focus on what type of television was being watched and whether viewers were binging Snog Marry Avoid? or glued to the puzzles of Only Connect.
“We frequently encourage the public not to spend too much time sitting down, but experts may want to expand that recommendation to encompass the activities done while sitting, since those seem to have distinct impacts on brain health,” commented co-author Natan Feter.
Are you 50 and watching Countryfile on loop 24/7? We appreciate the loyalty and, due to the study’s limitations, you may not need to switch off just yet. (Well, maybe dial things down a little.) The interpretations were observational and don’t conclusively prove that watching television causes brain shrinkage.
The study also relied on self-reporting habits, which is imperfect. Being transfixed by the television might also correlate with other factors such as poorer diet, less social engagement, sleep problems and depression, or lower overall cognitive stimulation.
That said, the evidence is building that television does indeed rot your brain. Earlier this year, a study out of Sweden concluded that “mentally passive sedentary behaviour may increase the risk of dementia”, while a study four years earlier also found that higher television viewing was linked to lower brain volume.
The emerging conclusion is that “sit less” is probably too simplistic an idea, certainly when it comes to brain health. A better message may be “sit smarter”. That might mean digging into a good book, regular crosswords and puzzles, chatting to friends and yes – the one that is rolled out in many features about brain health – learn the guitar.
It’s also worth noting that regular physical activity remains one of the best ways to support brain health. Ideally, you’re active every day. Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, such as brisk walking or cycling, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus ideally muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week.
