in the New York Times

The advertising industry’s “Council for Research Excellence” commissioned a report into media usage, which found that the average American watches 61 minutes of advertising and promotions a day. A senior researcher at Turner Broadcasting says that the data is “actually quite comforting” for the TV industry.

The New York Times reports it with a straight bat, which is a pity. Next time they might point to the effects of so much screen time.

Click to read more of the New York Times article.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently published the Time Use Survey for the U.S. in 2006. The chart for leisure time on an average day, for ages 15 and over, appears above.

The most striking thing about the chart is its neat division down the center. Just over half of all leisure time is spent consuming TV. TV makes up more than all of the other leisure activities combined. If you add in use of the computer for leisure, then total “screen” time is getting close to 60% of the pie.

I posted recently about the rubbish being shown on TV. It is full of stress and negative energy. Good news and happy endings just don’t sell. TV is especially unhelpful for us people with mood disorders.

My wife Anna told me tonight that the type of TV program that I watch has a big impact on my mood. A movie that is very violent, dark or disturbing can trigger or worsen a depressive episode. Even the nightly news can trigger symptoms like anger and irritability. At the same time relaxing in front of a comedy or light, airy movie can be helpful. It took Anna about 5 years to figure this out. Longer for me.

In your life, how much time do you spend on the right hand side of the pie? How much can you move across to the left, and what other categories of leisure can you add in that will benefit your health?

On a slight tangent, I’m interested to hear how other parents manage leisure time for their kids.

I’m not saying that I’ve sorted it all out, but for the moment I like the rules in place for our 3 kids (ages 4, 7 and 9). Firstly we don’t distinguish between TV, DVDs, Nintendo, etc. We let them have 45 minutes of “screen time” on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and 1 hour 20 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. Mondays and Tuesdays are “screen free days”. The exceptions are schoolwork and “typing tutor” (which is gathering dust).

Looking at the above chart I can see that we are strict parents, but it’s fair to say that the kids have a good balance of leisure activities. Much better than I do! And of course, if I’m alone at home with the kids and I’m ill, the screen rules disappear.

A one-legged chicken from the south of Wales has recently recovered from depression.

Lily is not your everyday chicken. She sleeps on a cushion in the kitchen of a two bedroom terraced house and she eats spaghetti bolognese. Her owner Vicky Mills says she struts about as if she rules the roost – “she really thinks she’s top of the pecking order”.

Lily damaged her leg in an accident with barbed wire. In an attempt to save the leg Vicky spent £2,000 on 7 operations, but the money was spent in vain and vets were forced to amputate. Lily didn’t require a prosthetic limb, making do instead on one leg. Apart from falling over occasionally when scratching, she has managed well.

Lily was diagnosed with depression shortly after losing her leg, due to separation anxiety during the day when the Mills’ were at work. Treatment was straight-forward. TV. All day, every day. She quickly returned to good health and resumed laying eggs.

The vet who diagnosed depression was not available for comment.