Quote:
Originally Posted by lumpynose
Watching TV or a movie is much more of a mentally passive activity than reading a book.
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I would say that depends pretty heavily on what is being watched and who is doing the watching (or what is being read and who's doing the reading). I won't speak for everybody, but there's stuff I watch on television where I am waaaaaay more mentally engaged than I am when reading certain books. I'm listening to conversations, incorporating the dialog into the plot, predicting outcomes, etc... . The notion that everyone is deadly focused, and concentrating on every word as it passes their eyes when reading a book, yet are merely staring cross-eyed and slack-jawed at the pretty colors on the idiot box is pure hogwash. I am just as mentally engaged when watching TV as I am when I'm reading a book. If I weren't, I would be watching it. I'm not into mindless entertainment in any form. I enjoy thinking.