Video Game & TV Behavioral Effects

Television and video games are two popular activities becoming increasingly associated with addiction and obesity. There have also been studies conducted that have attempted to link television and video games to detrimental changes in behavior. However, there is also some evidence that video games can have a positive effect.

Violence

• Research conducted in Japan and the United States has shown that antagonistic behavior occurs among younger people who play violent electronic games, according to the Center for the Study of Violence. The study in Japan is significant because Japan has a lower violence rate than the United States, yet children in Japan are still affected by the violent video games.

Health

• Television has been linked to sedentary behavior, which leads to health problems such as obesity. Obesity is caused by a lack of physical activity and might also be related to the high number of junk food ads being placed on television, according to Rutgers University. However, television watching can also lead to anorexia, as a large number of actresses are thin, influencing viewers to not eat, according to Dr. Norman Herr at California State University, Northridge.

Beta Waves

• Tokyo's Nihon University found that those who play video games have a decrease in beta waves in the brain. This decrease in beta waves can make it more difficult for the players to have successful friendships with other people, can make concentration difficult and can make the person feel more aggressive.

Empathy

• Games that involve positive activities such as helping others are more likely to encourage their players to help others in real life, according to research conducted by Iowa State. Those who played positive games were also more empathetic, being able to identify the emotions of others more successfully. These results were compared to those of video games where people engaged in neutral behaviors, which led to no behavioral changes.

Addiction

• Researchers at Iowa State University argue that adolescents can become addicted to video games. Those who are addicted to video games are more likely to get into fights with their teachers and are also more likely to have lower grades than non-addicted adolescents. Rutgers University researchers say that many television watchers demonstrate addictive behaviors, like using television as a sedative, watching television shows that they're not interested in, losing control when watching television, feeling angry for watching too much television and feeling miserable.