I wonít lie ó I spent the majority of my childhood and young adult life under the false impression that television watching actually ó through reasons inexplicable even by science ó decreased brain cell count. Or was it actual brain size?

You can take the word of as many sensationalist studies as you like, but the truth of the matter is that even excessive TV watching and video gaming does not fry your brain. But the actual consequences, which are far more logical if you stop to think about it, are just as bad if not worse.

One of the most talked about issues today is obesity. So unless you often watch TV while on the treadmill or while doing crunches, youíre probably inadvertently promoting the problem. Every now and then ó especially in child programming ó there is a 10-second advertisement telling kids to get out and play, followed by ìstay tuned ó more Spongebob Squarepants coming up next.” Which of those messages do you think is actually going to stick? Television networks simply donít have the best of intentions. When it comes down to it, they are a business, after all. Theyíre trying to keep their viewers, not send them all away. This is why you shouldnít even be surprised when you find yourself watching show after show instead of doing your homework, going over to the gym or hanging out with friends.

Then thereís the false perception of reality developed by spending too much time in front of the tube. Once you reach the late teens and early adulthood, this obviously isnít quite as much of a problem. But to children, who are far more impressionable, this can be much more pervasive. How many times have we heard that Grand Theft Auto makes kids more aggressive ó or that it was even the cause of shootings in Alabama a few years ago? The shooter in question was an 18-year-old named Devin who was obsessed with the game. He was brought into jail one day under suspicion of stealing a car. The arrest was going smoothly until he was brought into the police station, when he suddenly grabbed one of the officersí guns and shot several of his arrestors in the head.

Iíve only played Grand Theft Auto once in my life, so Iím not qualified to† point out indicators of whether or not his actions coincided with actions in the video game. However, something Devin said after the incident does point to the game as a culprit. ìLife is like a video game. Everybodyís got to die sometime,” Devin reportedly said.

And what about sex? Youíve probably realized by now that a lot of television depicts sex as something that is a) consistently mind-blowing and life-changing and b) commonly done with many, many different people ó sometimes at the same time. But how many orgies have you actually had? And have you ever seen a sex scene where a couple actually pauses to put on a condom?

Most self-esteem issues are developed with the help of TV as well. Unless directors are purposefully casting unattractive people to make a point in their work, itís likely that every actor you see on commercials and in programming will be very good looking. If itís an acne commercial, youíll be drawn to their perfect skin. If itís a new diet commercial, you canít help but notice their smoking body. The average person is rarely featured ó and for good reason. It goes back to the idea of selling the product. Businesses arenít going to show you what a product actually does. Theyíre going to show you the top end of the bell curve, not the middle part where the majority lies.

Keep that in mind next time you plop down to watch a House marathon, or decide to spend five hours campaigning in Halo 3. Maybe it wonít be the straw that breaks the camelís back and sends you into a killing spree, and maybe it wonít make you anorexic, but less severe side effects come into play too. Losing the freshman 15 is a lot harder when you zone out all Friday afternoon before going out to party ó and drink ó more.

Kris Fronzak is a Viewpoints editor for the Voice. She can be reached for comment at hkfronzak@gmail.com.