Regarding “vegging out”, I think that it would be useful to define the term precisely: what are the elements of “vegging”? I had a difficult time thinking of one, but one element would probably be mindlessness or passivity. It’s my impression that some of the posters above take issue with the statement: If you watch TV, then you are vegging out. I tend to agree that the truth of that statement depends on what and how you are watching.

Even assuming that TV negatively impacts our memories, it still might not be “unreasonable” for us to engage in viewing if the benefits of doing so outweigh the associated costs. Entertainment, relaxation, humor, information, imagination, for instance, might all have value for television viewers. If these are significant relative to the costs (impaired memory, time loss, etc.), then TV viewing might increase personal utility.

-- EdwardNewton - 22 Jan 2008