Hi there,

I think it's nice that everyone watching TV can learn new words, increase their vocabulary but what about the fact when you fully understand the TV show and have nothing to learn?

According to studies, watching TV can reduce your level of concentration, intelligence, impair the brain and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

TV shows are full of subliminal messages, if you don't know what they are, I suggest you google the term.

Anyway, there is a great article out there on effects of TV on the brain:

http://www.eruptingmind.com/…tv-on-brain/

Really interesting and persuasive, I must say. What is your opinion? Have you perceived any problems in your life when watching TV in excess? I think that watching TV in moderation is ok but when you watch TV series every day for several hours – then you should really think about what you are doing and why.

I reckon it's also good to think about what exactly the tv show will bring to your life, what value 

If it's in English, I think the effect is completely different. 

Yes, I think that is very likely, because we as non-native speakers of English certainly activate different part of the brain when watching the series. I think we must concentrate more and don't fall to the hypnotic state as a result 

Anyway, thanks for posting. It is worth checking it out, I wish I could go through the entire website right now. I am too busy to do that but I will do that later on. But for learners of english like me it is great stuff, It kind of motivates me in a way as it has been mentioned and makes me stay focused the whole time rather than softening my brain.

Thanks for the link, really great article The videos about subliminal messages are interesting Like you said, for us non-natives, the brain is activated in different parts and as a result we have to make a conscious effort to understand what is being said on the screen And that is the difference between us and native speakers, they understand pretty much everything, they don't have to concentrate much and subsequently fall into the mentioned hypnotic state.

What if you understand pretty much everything even though you're not a native speaker? Then TV influences you more or less as if you were a native, don't you think?

You may be right, but I think it also depends on what kind of series it is. If the series makes you think and is thought-provoking, it probably doesn't have much effect or influence on your brain. But watching 90210, Gossip Girl etc. is in my opinion a waste of time and makes your brain lazier, even if you're not a native speaker But I may be wrong, I'm not a psychologist 

Well, even if you are really good at English, you can always learn a lot from things like 90210 or Gossip Girl. I did. Not about life, of course… but about the language.

Well, I did just sit back and watch kind of ‘mindlessly’… but at the same time subconsciously (or unconsciously?) I was learning about intonation, stress, rhythm… and about natural language in different situations. Like how you speak when you're mad at someone, how you speak what you are in love with someone, how you speak when you're nervous etc etc.

And that's why even stuff like Gossip Girl is good for you.

Or… is it just an excuse?

Yes, I understand your point of view It's alright to watch it because you observe the stress, rhythm etc. The question is how many people watch tv series for this same reason I bet not many 

Don't get me wrong… it IS just an excuse in my case… but it works nonetheless.

An interesting article… nothing new for me though. I hate commercials, no matter what channel I watch – the only exception is HBO where there are only teasers. I hate commercials even on MTV Rock (where I could get away with that previously mentioned “excuse”). To my utter astonishment, kids channels like Nicklodeon and Disney Channel (excuse me if any misspelling appears, I don't know the right name) include so many commercials – very clever management indeed, but I truly hate them. That's why my chldren watch TV max. 2 hours a day and I prefer Czech ČT2 or a DVD, unless they talk their Gran into these horrible channels when I'm out. 

However, I think TV shows do improve your language skills and if you don't spend most of the day in front of TV… why not. But there are many other things to do in your life. 

The title of this thread reminded me of this scene:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?…

Well, as for the watching TV series, movies in english the truth is the opposite… so I don't find it a problem, on the other hand I kinda agree that watching stuff in czech or any language that is your native, can easily get you into some kind of a zombie mode where you're not paying attention to just about anything. That's why I really hate watching TV not only for the annoying commercials going on but also because of the craps you can come across there. That being said, when it comes down to watching Movies or anything you like and you can watch it in english as well, go for it. Nothing bad can come of that because it's not your native language and you have to keep paying attention to catch all of it.