TV Lobotomy. The Scientific Truth About the Effects of Television

"TV unleashes the imagination and feeds intelligence." • "A child deprived of
TV risks social isolation." • "TV dumbs you down." • "TV makes you obese." It
seems that everything—and its opposite—has already been said about TV. But
what is it really? How can we distinguish between the radical "No TV" of some
and the supposedly entertaining virtues touted by others? Michel Desmurget, a
doctor in neuroscience, has sifted through and synthesized thousands of
research articles published over the last fifty years in the most rigorous
international journals. The conclusion is unequivocal—we must stop watching
television for good, whatever the program. All content, even that meant to
teach, can never come close to any other learning method. The data is
clear—television viewing is detrimental to school performance. For a child in
elementary school, for example, every hour spent daily watching television
increases the likelihood that he or she will one day leave the school system
without any qualifications. For specialists, there is no doubt that television
has a negative influence, not only on intellectual development but also on
behavior. Thus, certain eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia) are related to a
frantic consumption of—television programs! In short, watching television has
an impact on our life expectancy. However, the harmful impact of this risk is
largely underestimated, because of the large sector of the public exposed to
television (more than 85% of Western households have at least one television
set), and because of a debate on the subject that has become inaudible and
confused. Moreover, the results of the research initiated by the big media
groups on the subject remain "proprietary," i.e., closed to the general
public. Believing that we is facing a real public health problem, Michel
Desmurget wants to act as a responsible scientist—with a clear, concise and
rigorously referenced book, the message cannot go unnoticed. Michel Desmurget
is a doctor of neuropsychology. He attended several major American
universities (MIT, Emory, UCSF) and is now a research director at INSERM in
cognitive neuroscience. He is particularly interested in the problems of brain
organization and plasticity. He is the author of the book TV Lobotomy (Max
Milo, 2022), which is based in part on his personal history. Exasperated by
having to constantly justify the choice not to have television at home—and to
prevent his children from having access to it—and not to be seen as a
sociopath in the eyes of those around him, he has done a massive job to argue
his point. This audiobook is read by a synthesized voice.