TV Channels, Self Control and Happiness

In many countries, TV viewers have access to more and more TVchannels. We study whether people can cope with this and watch the amount of TVthey find optimal for themselves or whether they are prone to over-consumption. Wefind that heavy TV viewers do not benefit, but instead report lower life satisfactionwhen exposed to more TV channels. This finding runs counter to the standardeconomic prediction that a larger choice set does not make people worse off. Itsuggests that an identifiable group of persons experience a self-control problemwhen it comes to TV viewing.