Watching engaging television triggers measurable neurological relaxation and hemisphere switching

Evidence

After watching Game of Thrones for a mere 30 seconds, my brain begins to produce the alpha waves typically associated with hazy, receptive states of consciousness, which are also generated during the “light hypnotic” stage of suggestion therapy. At the same time, my neurological activity switches from the left hemisphere to the right—that is, from the seat of logical thought to the seat of emotion. Whenever this shift takes place, my body is flooded with the natural opiates known as endorphins, which explains why viewers have repeatedly told scientists that they feel relaxed as soon as they switch on the television, and also why this same sense of relaxation tends to dissolve immediately after the set is turned off. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1108

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the physiological treatment of noise/silence effects on the body in One Square Inch of Silence. — connects to: The computer screen commands even more focused attention than television — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 665; Binge watching is deep engagement, the opposite of channel surfing — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1099; Language processing dominates left-hemisphere networks while the right hemisphere handles communication context. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4276 (+1 more)
• SHARE: The endorphin flood explaining why TV relaxation ‘dissolves immediately after the set is turned off’ is a perfect detail for a neuroscientist or media-criticism friend.

Broader Connections

• Language processing dominates left-hemisphere networks while the right hemisphere handles communication context. #expands (0.72) — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 4276
• Screen culture trains us to misperceive attention as singular and task-oriented #expands (0.72) — The Friends of Attention, Attensity!, 204