Update Date: 2008/11/17 12:05

A recent study released in the United States shows that "unhappy people" tend to watch more TV than "happy people."

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, researchers from the University of Maryland conducted a tracking study of nearly 30,000 Americans from 1975 to 2006 to explore the relationship between mood and TV watching. The results revealed that happy individuals watched an average of 19 hours of TV per week, while unhappy individuals watched an average of 25 hours per week, a difference of six hours. The study found that, compared to unhappy people, happy individuals are more enthusiastic about participating in social activities, engaging in outdoor activities, and reading books or newspapers.

However, it remains unclear whether people watch more TV because they are unhappy or if spending too much time watching TV leads to unhappiness.

The researchers noted that watching TV can only bring short-term happiness, and prolonged TV viewing may have the opposite effect.

Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 081117/ 1/ 19kwm. html