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Sitting down in front of the television with a meal or snack after a long day is a very popular
recreational pastime, particularly in the United States. And thanks to streaming services that
play every episode of a television series automatically, some viewers aren’t even burning the
few calories it might take to reach for the remote.
But is it sloth that keeps us chewing, or something else? Is it possible the experience of
watching TV can stimulate our appetite?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, television isn’t so much an appetite stimulant as it is an
appetite distraction. When we watch TV, we’re engaged in the program, which means we’re
paying less attention to the neurological and gastronomical cues that tell us we’re getting
full. Instead of taking note of how we're eating, we’re engaged in somewhat passive
consumption.
In 2015, a study published in The International Journal of Communication and Health
surveyed 591 undergraduates at the University of Houston. It showed that the more students
watched, the more they snacked. The study also found evidence that increased television
viewing was associated with a “fatalistic” view of healthy food intake and poor nutritional
knowledge.
One reason could be that excessive television viewing of news, entertainment, and
advertising sends conflicting messages about food. A news program might tell you to eat
more fruit. A commercial might tell you to eat more cold cereal.
Combining television and snacking also creates a cognitive association in your brain that
may prompt you to consider the two activities intertwined. In other words, you might reach
for some pizza or chips not because you’re all that hungry, but because you’ve come to
identify television with eating. You might even eat more depending on the length of a
program. If you’re watching Friends, a half-hour sitcom, you might eat less than if you were
watching a super-sized episode of a drama like Mad Men.
That’s not to say the content of a program isn’t influential. In 2013, a study in the journal
Appetite looked at a group of 80 subjects, half of whom were told to watch a cooking
program and half who were told to watch a nature show. Both groups were presented with
equal amounts of chocolate-covered candies, cheese curls, and carrots. Researchers found
that viewers of the cooking show—and its lingering close-ups of delectable foods—tended to
eat more chocolate-covered candies than the nature show viewers.
Some studies have looked at whether the show's genre can make a difference—watching an
action movie over a romantic comedy, for example. But a number of them published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association were later retracted, throwing their conclusions
into doubt.
So is snacking while watching television that bad? Like most things, it’s OK in moderation.
Eating meals away from the TV can encourage mindful eating," which directs your attention
to the food in front of you. You’ll be able to pick up on satiety cues when you're not fully
focused on your screen. Better yet, you won’t have to struggle to hear your favorite show
over all that chewing.
VOCABULARY
recreational pastime - розважальне проведення часу
streaming services - стримінгові служби
sloth - лінь
distraction - відволікання
cues - сигнали
to survey - опитувати
excessive - надмірний
cold cereal - холодні крупи
to prompt - збуджувати, заохочувати
intertwined - взаємопов'язаний
super-sized - гігантський
lingering close-ups of delectable foods - затяжні близькі плани смачних страв
to retract - відмовлятися
to encourage - заохочувати
satiety cues - сигнали ситості
to struggle - боротися
TASKS
1. Choose the correct answer.
Sitting down in front of the television with a meal or snack after a long day is a very popular
recreational pastime, particularly in the United States. T F
We’re paying more attention to the neurological and gastronomical cues that tell us we’re
getting full. T F
The study also didn't find evidence that increased television viewing was associated with a
“fatalistic” view of healthy food intake and poor nutritional knowledge.
T F
So is snacking while watching television that bad? Like most things, it’s OK in moderation.
T F
You might even eat more depending on the length of a program. T F
2. English - Ukrainian
And thanks to streaming services that play every episode of a television series automatically,
some viewers aren’t even burning the few calories it might take to reach for the remote.
In 2015, a study published in The International Journal of Communication and Health
surveyed 591 undergraduates at the University of Houston.
If you’re watching Friends, a half-hour sitcom, you might eat less than if you were watching
a super-sized episode of a drama like Mad Men.
Some studies have looked at whether the show's genre can make a difference—watching an
action movie over a romantic comedy, for example.
Eating meals away from the TV can encourage mindful eating," which directs your attention
to the food in front of you.