Sad? Watch better TV shows

What is a necessity in your life? That’s the question the Pew Research Center asked 1,003 Americans.
   
The poll found that in the last three years, people downgraded many things that they once considered necessities but now considered optional, or luxuries. Those included microwaves, clothes dryers, and – are you ready for this? – television.
   
When people were asked if a television was a necessity, only 52 percent said yes. That was down from the 2006 results, when 64 percent said yes.
   
From this poll we conclude:
   
•Half of Americans think that having a television is absolutely critical to their mental and emotional well-being.
   
•The other half are lying.
   
Yes, we know there’s a recession on and that people are cutting back. But television ... not necessary? Come on. For many people, that’s like saying oxygen is optional.
   
Want proof? On Friday, the nation’s television networks stopped broadcasting an analog signal. Translated into non-techie, that means the old antenna-only televisions won’t work, unless they’re hooked to a digital converter box or a cable or satellite service. Most Americans were ready. But we expect we’ll be hearing from those who missed the news and are outraged to find they’re sans television. Believe us, they won’t be reassured to know that half their fellow citizens allegedly don’t think television is a necessity.
   
We understand how people can live without a dishwasher. You can still wash and dry your dishes in the sink, after all. Or a clothes dryer. There’s always a clothesline. Or even air conditioning. Buy a fan.
   
But let’s admit that television has become an unbreakable habit for many people. The rise of cable has sapped the market dominance of the networks, but we’re still watching. We just have more options.
   
You could, instead, read a book, take a walk, talk to a friend.
   
But you don’t.
   
Some people brag that they never watch television. That it’s a vast wasteland, to borrow Newton Minow’s famous phrase. They could point to a recent study published in the journal Social Indicators Research, which found that people who described themselves as “not too happy” watched more television than their more contented counterparts. On average, the glum ones reported an extra 5.6 hours of tube time a week.
   
Researchers were careful not to say that watching television caused people to be unhappy. But rather that there was a “link” that was not yet understood.
   
Link is a scientific term for stuff that scientists don’t understand.
   
We wonder: Isn’t it possible that those who watch more television are unhappy because they’re not watching enough good TV? They’re getting depressed by watching bottom-feeder shows like “I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!”
   
Our advice: Admit your addiction, find a few quality shows and stick with them. Maybe that means spending time with coach Eric Taylor and his team on “Friday Night Lights,” or Paul Weston and his fascinating and infuriating patients on “In Treatment” or Liz Lemon and the gang on “30 Rock.”
   
Then turn it off.
 

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