November 21 is World Television Day.
Television can entertain and delight us, there's no doubt. But a recent study found that watching TV led to a higher risk of dementia.
Over the course of nearly 12 years, researchers compared the habits of those who watched TV versus those who used the computer, and found the risk of cognitive decline was 24% higher in those who watched TV.
Why?
Watching TV allows us to zone out. It's passive entertainment, meaning we don't have to engage with it. We don't have to use parts of our brains responsible for reading, writing, comprehending, typing, etc.
Simply put, using a computer requires the person to interact; watching television does not.
The twist? This was true regardless of whether a person exercised regularly.
This is one activity you might want to hit the pause button on.
Want to read the study? Find it here.
