[originaltext]W: What a great day, don’t you think?M: I guess so. I hadn’t not

W: What a great day, don’t you think?
M: I guess so. I hadn’t noticed it. I feel awful because I watched television until after midnight last night.
W: After midnight! Did you watch so late because you were bored? I usually watch TV only if I have nothing to do.
M: Bored? No, I was upset because I left my meal tickets in the cafeteria. That’s more than fifty dollars worth of meal tickets down the drain.
W: So did watching TV make you feel better?
M: Well, I felt a bit better while I was watching. You know, it took my mind off my troubles. But after I turned the TV off, I just felt disgusted with myself for wasting so much time.
W: I’ve had that feeling before.
M: I had intended to watch just one program, but somehow I couldn’t make myself switch off the TV.
W: Actually, I’ve read that there’s a scientific explanation for that. It seems that there’s a part of the brain that processes complex information, but that part becomes less active while watching TV.
M: That’s certainly how I felt last night—like my brain wasn’t very active.
W: That’s not the worst of it. If you watch TV a lot, or for a long time, that part of the brain—the pan that processes complex information, shows lowered activity and you become more and more passive.
M: That’s incredible.
W: Next time you feel upset, you should go swimming. That’s what I do, and it always makes me feel better.
M: I suppose. Right now, I’ve got to go to the cafeteria and get some more meal tickets.