Lecture 06 - Why We Watch TV and Why It Is So Difficult to Stop

Question 1

What is flow?

Answer 1

a sense of effortless action felt in moments that stand out as the best in our lives

Question 2

What are the components of flow?

Answer 2

clarity of goals
immediate feedback
challenges and skills are matched
absorbed in the task
sense of personal control
altered sense of time

Question 3

What is Daily Experience Sampling?

Answer 3

figure out what your flow activities are and build your life around them
- your life will feel meaningful and worth going through

Question 4

What is the Paradox of Work and Leisure?

Answer 4

the idea that it’s very useful to know what’s happening from moment to moment

keep track of what you are doing, who you are with, how you are feeling throughout the day to assess what you flow activities are

Question 5

What are the best ways to experience flow?

Answer 5

sport and hobbies

initiating these activities are challenging

Question 6

What activity generates the least flow?

Answer 6

watching TV

TV is highly relaxing and moderately pleasant

BUT:
- highly unchallenging
- highly passive
- requires low concentration

Question 7

Why do participants report experiencing more flow at work than during their leisure time?

Answer 7

because there is structure, goals, feedback, challenge and skill

Question 8

What is the Three-Pronged defense of watching TV proposed by Professor Koestner?

Answer 8

1. It’s okay if you do it with others
2. Life as a professor is stressful. I watch TV when I feel exhausted and it helps me relax and recuperate
3. It’s okay if you watch good shows

Question 9

How can TV shows make you smarter?

Answer 9

Multiple threading and complex social networks require attention, patience, retention and parsing of narrative threads

“you have to focus to follow the plot, and in focusing you are exercising the parts of your brain that amp social networks, that fill in missing information, and that connect multiple narrative threads”

Question 10

What are Kubey’s and Cz’s recommendations on TV watching?

Answer 10

1. Don’t try to give up TV totally
2. Watch with other people
3. Be a discriminating viewer
   - make it GOAL-ORIENTED
   - record
   - supplement with study

Question 11

What is the Flow Method?

Answer 11

overall goal + as many subgoals as possible

find ways to measure progress

concentrate & make finer distinctions re: challenge

develop new skills

keep raising the stakes when it becomes boring