apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ditto - had one in my bedroom through highschool and university, but wouldn't dream of it now. I think it is because as an adult you have spaces for separate functions, but as a young person your bedroom is your only private space.

I had a TV in my room growing up, but as an adult, I won't have a TV in the bedroom. My partner and I usually take that time settling into bed to talk about our day, and our plans for the following day....if we aren't taking that time for a little something else, that is. When we stay at his parents house we end up watching the Dog Whisperer in bed until we fall asleep.

no tv in the boudoir... how unromantic, unrestful, bright, sharp and altogether inappropriate.
but that's me.

there are people i love who feel the bedroom is the perfect space for the brain numbness incurred by the boob tube.

(not my lover, though)

;)

I had a TV in my bedroom growing up, but I can't imagine it now. My boyfriend and I keep our bedroom very minimal, using it only for sleeping, intimacy, and getting dressed (and sometimes we get dressed in the bathroom). I like knowing that if we're in the bedroom, it's for sleeping and sex. Otherwise, I'd just end up watching tv and reading in bed, defeating either option or sleep or intimacy.

But, I don't watch much tv anyway. I follow American Idol, and I enjoy documentaries. That's about it.

I recently moved from a studio to a one bedroom. Since I only have the 1 tv, it went in the living room. For a month I was without a tv in the bedroom and at first I felt like a junkie going through withdrawl - it was rough. but then I started reading before bed, and not only did I get used to no tv, my brain started feeling exercised!

I wish I could tell you that I'm totally reformed, but a friend just gave me her old little tv and i'm back to my evil ways. I justify this to myself by saying that I'm single and have no lovelife to wreck anyway.

i want to say that i want to have one in the bedroom,not so much for before going to bed, but for those weekends when you just sleep in, wake up and stay in bed watching a bad movie until 2 in the afternoon. having said that i don't like clutter. the CD player next to my bed is fine for now.

...and then you have kids, and your bedroom again becomes your private retreat/escape pod... with a tv, for our purposes. Of course, turn it off and spend some time with your partner, read a book, get your rest, etc... but it sure is handy for a little escape here and there. With a Tivo on board, thank you much. I am always amazed at how people feel oddly incapable of turning a tv off. It's pretty easy, actually, especially in the time of dvrs... I never feel like it HAS to be on unless I really have the time or inclination to really enjoy a program. It's a choice to put it in the room, and a choice to watch it... why do people so often feel like television controls them?

I'm in the minority here: During the week, I like catching the morning news while I'm getting ready for work (mainly for the traffic and weather info), so we keep a TV in the bedroom.

I do have a TV in the bedroom. I know people will disagree with me but I need it to fall asleep - I live in the middle of a city and the sudden noises will startle me awake in the middle of the night; having the TV volume on low really helps to even out the noise level. I would note that it is a small TV - a simple 13" - I one time had a 27" that the light alone would keep me awake.

okay, now I don't feel defensive whatsoever about having a tv in my bedrom, well, maybe a little... but jeez some people get so smug and self-righteous about this topic!

No way. Not smug about it, I just try really hard to keep TV at a minimum, and this is one of the simplest ways to do that. It's in an inobtrusive corner in the living room, and I know you should never say never, but I say I will never have more than one. No matter how many rugrats I might eventually accumulate, they will have to share the damn thing, and they'll get TVs in their rooms over my dead body. Now check back with me in 10 years to see if I've eaten my words.

We used to have a tv in our room but my husband promised that when we moved we wouldn't keep the tv in our bedroom. It just always kept us up all night watching stupid movies. Now he loves not having one in the bedroom. Its been about 8 months now.

My husband and I have a 13" TV that he bought in college in our bedroom. I used to be adamantly against it and in the "the bedroom is for intimacy" crew.... and then we started doing IT in the dining room... the living room... the laundry room....

Kidding! (maybe.)

My only TV is in the bedroom--mainly so I don't have to have it in the living room. And, as a single mom, it can be a nice retreat to go off to my room and watch a grown up movie--I do share the TV with my son sometimes, but with this arrangement I have full control over TV viewing in my house (and, as a result, we don't watch much of it).

I never watch I in the bedroom, but there is a tiny tv since I got a new one for the living room.

A tv that is off doesn't hurt my sleep.

My husband and I recently moved to a new place, and the day we moved in we put the tv in the bedroom since we wanted to watch a movie, but couldn't imagine actually sitting up to do so. It has remained there since. we now have no tv in any other room. We like that it seems to limit when we watch tv much more than before. I am not going to go into my bedroom and watch tv in the middle of the day, but at the end of the day we can cozy up together and watch a movie. Also, we have two small children and it helps limit their tv intake also, something I am very adamant about. It is much easier to let them watch their Mr. Rogers and then turn the tv off and just shut our door. So, I think it is just a personal preference thing and what situation will keep a a tv from running your life. One thing I will say though, I will never, never have a tv in my kids' room. Never. They have books in their room instead.

While I understand many of the reasons for keeping the TV out of the bedroom, there are a few personal advantages for me and the beau. It also comes in handy when the beau wants to watch football and I'd rather watch a movie. Also, my bedroom serves multiple purposes--it's also my home office. Therefore, I have a not-to-big flat panel TV that also serves as the monitor for my laptops.

Finally, I made a cover for my TV screen so it's "out of sight, out of mind" most of the time.

I agree with stockholm's comment. It helps us to have that white noise buffer that a TV on low volume provides when you live in a city with late night noise. I've tried music in place of TV, but my mind tends to follow along; whereas with TV, I'm able to tune it out. It's kind of a non-issue for me... TV in the bedroom doesn't negatively impact my life or my husband's.

A TV getting in the way of romance? How then do you watch porn?

I have a large studio apartment and no television -- even though it's the industry I work in. I have a large computer monitor which I can watch DVDs and downloads of new shows -- works for me.

In my house, we all have televisions in our bedrooms, in addition to the one on the living room =)

I prefer having a TV in the bedroom. As others have said, The background noise and movement of light actually helps me doze off faster. I cannot fall asleep in absolute quiet so without the noise, my mind starts to race about what needs to be done the next day or with random ideas that leave me too focused for sleeping. Strangely enough, I cannot read a book to fall asleep as others do.

I don't have a TV in my bedroom right now, so I usually have to fall asleep on the sofa and stumble into bed at night.

I didn't know there was any other way to go. Of course you should have a tv in the bedroom. It has an on/off button.

I've always had a tv in the bedroom since moving away from my parents years ago. The tv makes it much easier for me to fall asleep at night and get up in the morning. Like "stockholm" I like the street noise muffling effects and like "anh-minh", I like hearing the news, etc in the morning. I have never experienced negative effects from having the television in my bedroom.

we just have the tv in the living room right now and then our smaller tv as been sitting on the floor in a nook in the hallway, so it's getting moved to the bedroom, much because of a lack of place to put it. We've had it in there before and i can say either way it doesn't affect the room from a'rockin'

I can also say that i was a kid not too long ago, i'm pretty young, and i got a tv in my room at a certain age, and a vcr a few years after that. It was good. TV only turns you into an idiot if you let it. I can honestly say i watched a lot of tv as a kid, a LOT, but it did not affect me from getting nearly a 4.0 and being at the top of my class. Don't protect your kids so much, they gotta learn things eventually. Pretty soon they're going to be that weird kid that has a friend come over and they have to say "no we're not allowed to watch tv unless it's with our parents and it is a documentary..." I know there is a lot of crap on tv that is not good for your kids, but let them be kids! - a message from a not so long ago kid (plus a big kid since i still watch looney tunes)

It is a personal choice and some of the posters raise good points in favor. I have never had tv in the bedroom and really don't like it. The flashing lights, loud commercials for liquidation sales, etc. just do not contribute to the kind of serene atmosphere I want in the bedroom. And waking up in the middle of the night to discover it is on is really jarring.

silvarga - Is your real name Tyson? Are you actually my boyfriend? Get back to work, you're supposed to be at the store...

He is EXACTLY the same...and I don't believe him either ;)

TV in the bedroom is not good for your chi...or so I've read. I've had it both ways and I prefer to have no tv because if not I will stay up late watching Nick at Night whcih makes for a very tough time waking up in the morning...although there are just some days I wanna cuddle up in my bed and watch a movie...preferably anything Audry Hepburn!

i don't have a tv in my bedroom. i think it ruins romance as well (not that i have any). lol however, since, i live downtown, sometimes i do turn the news on to a very low mumble as white noise to fall asleep. i'm not certani that is a good idea. the radio picks up tv audio for some reason. i'm about to move to a studio & the tv won't be visable from the bed.

We have a TV in the bedroom. When we have guests, our dog is too friendly and excitable, so we put him in there and turn the TV on - it calms him down. Calms me down at hight, too. Conan always improves my pre-sleep mood.

But all of the comments here seem to be about the TV being on at night - don't some people ( like my wife) find the Today show helps them get moving in the morning, news, weather, etc...?

Two TVs in a two room apartment seemed silly, so I got rid of one. My sleep is more restful without the presence of the TV, though I admit I sometimes miss the lazy Sundays we used to spend in bed watching Mystery.

Rarely (when one of us is sick, or we just feel like watching something in bed), we bring over the projector from the living room, hook it up to a laptop and watch DVDs projected on the wall.

I live in a one-bedroom apartment with a 13 in. television and vcr shelved on a small cabinet with casters, so I roll the cabinet into and out of the bedroom as my tv watching urge strikes. Mostly the tv inhabits the living room, but should I decide to spend a day in bed catching up on films, I am able to do so quite pleasantly.

I don't do TV: not in bedroom, not in livingroom, not anywhere.

Who has time to watch TV anymore?

Whoops, I meant a 13 in. television and dvd player. I do live in the 21st century...most of the time.

I'm with rubydellson - how else do you watch porn? Or is everyone here too intellectual for porn?

I don't believe in Feng Shui or chi, so I'm free to enjoy a tv in the bedroom. It doesn't get watched much, honestly, but it is nice to have there when the mood strikes.

hmmmm. porn.....or Murder She Wrote?

I use my lcd computer monitor as a default bedroom tv. It sits behind the doors of a desk armoire. I don't have a tv tuner on my computer, but between itunes, hulu.com, the network websites, and my ReplayTV dvr (which is networked to my mac), there is always something to watch. My preference is an innocuous sitcom right before I fall asleep. No thrillers, serialized dramas, sports, or news.

No TV in the bedroom or anywhere else. Haven't had one for 13 years and my hubby and I love being without it. We have dinner together, we talk, we read, ... bliss.

If I could afford another Bang & Olufson for my bedroom, I'd buy something else.

I'm a busy person with a mind for feng shui.

I have three TVs. One in the bedroom, one in the living room, and one in my big beautiful kitchen.

Dude, I live alone. The background noise helps me from going nutso in the silence. And no, I don't like the radio and music in the home just irritates me.

It bugs the crap out of me how high-horse and self-righteous people get : "I haven't had a tv for 20 years I'm far too busy and such a better person for not stooping to that low-brow crap." Get off it. It's entertaining, it's educational, it's stupid, it's smart. You can watch Flavor Flav or you can watch the Discovery Channel. You can be glued to it or you can have it on in the background and never look at the screen. If you watch it or if you don't watch it, you're not morally better or worse for it.

Big friggin deal.

it is many years I don't have a television, I always say that I am going to buy one but I always find something else more interesting to do.
I suppose when I will be 70 years old I will be watch a lot of television, so plenty of time in the future for tv!

Actually Trish, saying one hasn't had a TV is not being self-righteous. It's just stating a fact. You're the one placing a moral judgment on people's comments.

TV may be "entertaining, stupid, smart etc". It is also strongly associated across numerous studies with lower quality of life, greater levels of social isolation, lower levels of well-being and a host of other outcomes." Again, this is not self-righteous. There are a lot of data that show this across numerous studies e.g. Cziksentmihaly, Kreuger, Kahneman, etc. The research shows that we actually have about 7 more disposable hours each week than folk had in the late 60's! Where does it go in our excessively "busy" lives? Census and Department of labor studies show that it is used for TV!

People used to sit for hours in front of the radio with nothing to look at it.

Now they sit for hours in front of the tv with something to look at.

I put a small tv on a side wall of the bedroom on an articulating mount so as not to disturb the main walls of the bedroom which will be used for inanimate and calming pieces of media.

We have a TV in the sitting room area of our master bedroom, and another one in our guest bedroom.

We're not fans of watching at night, but I like to turn on Bloomberg in the morning, so I know what I'm about to walk into at work.

I'm sort of scared to post after that craziness, but I do now have a tv in the bedroom after several years of not having one. My boyfriend and I decided we would never have a tv in the bedroom, but we did have one in the sitting room outside the bdrm that we never watched. One day I felt like watching a movie in bed so we moved it. We only ever ues it for movies, probably only once a month. We go days without watching tv, news comes from npr and the web.

We have 4 tv's in our house. Family room, rec room, master bedroom and office. Not one of them is on at the moment but I cannot drag myself away from the internet. I need to get over my addiction to blogs.

Jeez mrmanses, for someone whose saying that others are unpleasant, your posts sure are vitriolic.

One of the studies that was mentioned was by Kahneman. I believe he won a Nobel Prize for his work in this area, so doubt that it's that obscure. I for one find some of the studies interesting, in addition to just opinions.

Anyhow, I do have a TV in my bedroom, and enjoy it!

danaisaacs: My complaint wasn't that she was unpleasant. It was that she was dishonest.

It's exceptionally dishonest to claim that you aren't being holier-than-thou when you are, in fact, being holier-than-thou on multiple levels.

If you want to say you're better than everybody else because you don't have a TV, just out and say it.

As for the citation, it must be pretty obscure because while Kahneman is, in fact, a nobel prize winner, it has absolutely nothing to do with his work in telling people that TV is bad. In fact, I don't believe he has ever done such work.

Kahneman is a behavioral finance specialist. The only time he has touched TV is to examine game show contestant behavior.

I may be unpleasant, but I'm honest. That's more than I can say for you, and your lie about Kahneman winning a Nobel Prize in TV lowering standards of life.

mrmanses if you're planning on raising your children to be open-minded, perhaps you shouldn't rely on TV, even in part to do this, and instead model the behavior yourself as consistently as possible. Your post was particularly closed-minded and mean. As an observer, I found it quite vitriolic and surprising.

Actually, Kahneman has done a huge amount of work on how people spend their time (including TV and commuting) and the relationship of these issues to well-being. In fact, this is the major focus of his current work.

I just don't see what the big deal is. I see nothing wrong with television. To all the people proclaiming that tv is for lower classes or whatever. I watched a great deal of television when I was growing up which is why I'm so much smarter than most people I know. Television can be a great learning tool. The Discovery Channel, History Channel, A&E, Animal Planet, great concerts, theater, Food Network, etc. Aren't these all things that upper class citizens enjoy? People with lower incomes cannot afford to but tickets for Broadway or concerts or theater, etc. Why shouldn't they be able to watch these things on television without professor Von Statistics making them feel bad for it??

Where do you put the TV if you live in a studio? I have a 2 year old so if I actually want to have a second to myself (outside of when he is sleeping) there must be a cartoon on at some point....so...where do I put it?