Entertainment is something we do primarily in order to have an emotional or intellectual experience: it is something we use our leisure time for in order to feel happiness, excitement, stimulation, catharsis, etc. However, entertainment—even the most passive or sedentary type—also has a physical dimension. Even the fact that we have to sit or stand still in a particular posture while being entertained also has implications for our bodies.
Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy chronicles, among other things, a historical change in the way human beings tend to entertain themselves. According to Ehrenreich, human beings have, for millennia, put a great deal of emphasis on participatory group festivities, where everyone had the chance to both enjoy their communal togetherness and to shine as individuals in festivals or rituals. However, with the advancement of modernism (spread outwards from Europe via imperialism) and other socio-economic developments, these sorts of celebrations began to die out. Nowadays, people are much more likely to have solitary and/or sedentary ways of entertaining themselves. Various social factors also encourage such behavior: for example, a theatergoer from centuries ago would have had no compunctions about walking around the audience area, interacting with other audience members, and shouting his/her reactions aloud. These days, it is considered proper to sit quietly still and focus on the stage, isolated from other audience members even as one is in the middle of a crowd.
Ehrenreich believes that these developments were accompanied by a greater recognition of and value for people’s individuality, which of course has many good points. However, the costs include the loss of more participatory, group-oriented, inclusive ways of entertaining ourselves and achieving happiness.
One of the most obvious effects of this is depression, or, on the less extreme side, a generalized feeling of sadness, anxiety, isolation and meaninglessness. These sorts of feelings can not only make a person’s life miserable and even drive them to suicide, but also cause obesity, impotence or in short just weaken his or her body. Scientific research, after all, shows a very strong link between depression and deadly physical ailments like low immunity, high blood pressure and even cardiac arrest.
A more straightforward effect on the body, pointed out by health professionals (and not just historians or sociologists like Ehrenreich) is that modern or contemporary forms of entertainment are highly sedentary. They require people to stay very still, or to make only restricted, repetitive movements. For example, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or listening to music on an iPod do not work one’s body out as well as sports, going out dancing, or even walking. Staring at a screen all day (and night) can lead to eye strain, aging, memory loss and back trouble. The gearing of technology and the entertainment/media industry towards these forms of entertainment can lead to the very odd situation of some young people being far more sedentary or inactive than their elders. When these young people age themselves, they may find that they are more subject to age-related illnesses than their older relatives were.
However, just because social trends point us toward particular modes of entertainment does not mean that we necessarily have to adhere to these common practices. We are not necessarily forced to use certain kinds of entertainment technology simply because they exist. In other words, the real revolutions in entertainment today might be more about going back to basics, rather than perpetually chasing technological advancements. We might try more activities that involve physical movement, and going out to meet people personally. Entertainment that involves the whole body, not just the eyes and hands, can be very fulfilling, and is certainly better for our physical health, as well.
I’m a certified couch potato. I can live and die in front of our television set, watching my favorite shows and movies and whatnots. Can I still repair how much my sedentary lifestyle has affected my health? Help!
It all boils down to this: managing your stress and keeping your mind healthy will help you cope with the many changes that may come along the way. Entertainment is one of the best forms that could help our nerves relax and our stress reduced. That’s why you should not keep yourself from things that you love. Whether that is with a good book, a good movie, a good play, a good concert, or a good set of music playlists.