I agree that the results obtained in this study are not at all concrete and furthermore correlation doesn't indicate causation. Watching tv wll not kill you. However, it's always good, in my opinion, to take a step back and look at some of our everyday activities to evaluate their harmfulness or even benefits. I wrote recently on my blog about my own experience with cutting back on tv watching when I canceled my cable in order to save money and give myself more free time:
http://thebarcelonastory.blogspot.com/2011/05/dont-cry-for-me-hgtv.html

One of the reasons my ex-husband is my ex was his "addiction" to TV and lack of engagement with me in things like hiking or dancing. In a surge of anger at being ignored while trying to speak to him--during a commerical no less--I pushed the tv off the shelf and it smashed to unwatchable bits on the floor. His response? "Excellent, I've been really wanting to get rid of that box and get a flat-screen."

I cancelled the cable when he moved out and haven't watched any broadcast TV in nearly a decade. I read, I sew, I cook, I garden, I nap, I visit with friends, and, yes, I even stream a movie about two or three times a month. I can't talk about the latest episode of anything, and I don't get lots of "cultural" (ironic to call a tv show cultural) references. But I do listen to NPR and read the newspaper and stay current with my favorite blogs.

Health result: no more damaged electrical components, and lots more mental stimulation with books and friends, definitely more antioxident consumption in a wine glass, more vitamin D abosrbed under the sun, and more physical activity painting the walls!

Correlation does not imply causation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation

A partner/spouse/etc. doesn't need to watch TV to ignore their partner/spouse/significant other. The issue isn't TV watching, it's avoidance.

TV is just a way to avoid, as is excessive socializing (to avoid being alone with a partner) or excessive work. How many people admit that they work too many hours to avoid home issues?

It's not about TV watching, it's about doing it to the exclusion of people and other activities. I know people who spend hours in bars at night drinking. You think that's healthy? (but they'll say, "Hey, we're socializing. It's good.) A lot of those people are clearly alcoholics who are using drink to avoid dealing with their lives.

Same with anything that you do in excess and that takes away time from relationships. It's one thing to share activities you truly love, this helps you bond and build up experiences. It's another to engage separately in activities, of any kind, where you are basically alone in a room together.

I do watch TV. I also work long hours. Read lots of books, magazines and newspapers. Go to the theater and opera. Spend time with friends.

I honestly can't say I sit down and just watch TV. I'm usually doing something else, like going thru mail, sorting stuff, cleaning up, etc. But there are a couple of shows I do watch regularly. Thankfully, being able to watch online allows me to schedule TV around my life, not my life around TV.

It's interesting how much has been said about how unhealthy watching TV is. Yet not so much about how much time adults spend playing video games, being online, or doing any activity (running, walking, sports playing) so much that it interferes with their relationships.

I'd be more concerned about the mental health risks of watching tv than the physical. There have been fascinating studies on the way tv affects cognition and neurological responses in the brain. Add a billion dollar marketing industry that aims to sell you things you probably don't need by convincing you you're not good enough with without their product and there's some potentially scary stuff going on.

I stopped watching tv years ago and there's only a handful of shows I keep up with but I view it from sources that don't have commercials. On the rare occasion I'm over at someone's home and they have the tv on the whole format seems rather odd and kind of creepy. I used to think tv programs were entertainment and the viewer was also the station's customer. Now I'm pretty convinced shows are meant to attract eyeballs to sell to the real client, the marketers. And you pay for this privilege with cable subscriptions. Not for me, thanks.

I enjoy TV, and I'm not worried about shortening my life or not living up to somebody else's ideas of the "good" life. I have a few favorite shows that I TIVO to scan over commercials. Right now my "domestic partner" is finishing up a marathon viewing of all 10 seasons of Stargate SG1 in the home theater every night! (I liked the show, but I am not willing to commit that much time to it, so I watch other things on our livingroom tv.)

Everybody needs to make their own choices in life, and it would be nice if people weren't so judgemental about what other people choose. I have a graduate degree, I read a lot, I craft, I sometimes entertain, and I am content with my life. I do not socialize with friends very much because I am reclusive by nature and I have to work with the public 40 hours a week -- my down time is very valuable to me. I think it's great that some folks love to spend every waking moment DOing something, but after years like that, now I appreciate "NOT doing" just as much. TV is not the Great Enemy, and not all of TV is drek. If you choose to live without it, that's cool. You may think I am missing out on the things you prefer to do, and I may think you are missing out on things I learn and the ability to share an experience with many people while simultaneously being quiet and relaxed in my own home. And we are both right.

right on, SherryBin speaks the truth!