Life Without the Tube

That addicts deprived of drugs suffer physical pain has been known for centuries. That human beings denied TV can experience psychological withdrawal symptoms has just been discovered. The finding was reported by the Society for Rational Psychology in Munich. Kicking TV cold turkey, says the German firm, can lead to moodiness, child spanking, wife beating, extramarital affairs and, at home, decreased interest in sex along with fewer orgasms.

The society asked 184 habitual viewers to renounce the tube for a year. At first they seemed happy to be free of it. They went to the movies three times as frequently as before, visited relatives and friends twice as often, and spent twice as much time reading and playing games. Before long, however, they felt a renewed urge to watch TV. Though the subjects were paid for every day of self-denial, one man resumed his habit after only three weeks. No one held out for more than five months.

What drove them back to the tube was mounting tension at work, at home and in bed. Quarreling and physical aggression increased. Before the sets were switched off, only 2% of the husbands had ever beaten their wives and only 58% of the parents had disciplined their children by slapping them. Afterward, however, the percentages rose to 5 and 66. With the TV on again, aggression decreased and sexual habits went back to normal--except that for a while, husbands and wives had a few more orgasms than they were used to and single people masturbated more than before.

None of this means that TV is either a tranquilizer or an aphrodisiac, cautions Psychologist Henner Ertel. In fact, the tube might well foster tension and dull sensuality in those who are unaccustomed to it. But among devotees, it may mask conflicts and even provide a last link between otherwise estranged couples. "With people who watch regularly," Ertel explains, "many behavior patterns become so closely related to TV that they are negatively influenced if one takes the set away. The problem is that of addiction."

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