A note on the relationship between television viewing and individual happiness

In a recently published article, Bruni and Stanca (2008) suggest that television viewing has a negative impact on life satisfaction. In this note we argue that the empirical approach they use (an approach that omits the main effect of TV viewing in life satisfaction) is problematic.We estimate a microeconomic life satisfaction function and find little support for the claim that television viewing in general has a negative impact on individual happiness. Using a large cross-country comparison we find that there is a substantial heterogeneity across countries, which needs to be taken into account when concluding about television's effect on life satisfaction.

Research highlights▶ We do not find support that TV viewing has a negative impact on individual happiness. ▶ Our results indicate a substantial heterogeneity across countries. ▶ Personality traits may be another determinant of TV consumption.