It's always fun when tech companies use dubious science to make themselves look good. We're suckers for it, at least.
Take Sky+HD's latest PR push, for example. The British HD box manufacturer, working with psychologist Donna Dawson, claim that high definition programming can help a viewer's health and well-being in various ways, particularly in these dark economic times.
"Colour research reveals bright colours lift your mood and help the viewer to feel more positive, excited, happy or relaxed," Dawson says in a press release. "Laughter has also been shown to release endorphins from the brain, the body's natural 'feel good' chemicals. By watching an uplifting film or intense sport event in high definition, fed up viewers can enjoy the invigorating roar of a stadium crowd in their living room, or a bit of escapism by transported [sic] to the setting of a far away exotic nature documentary."
This seems like an awfully vague statement for a scientist. For one, there's no indication that viewers will release more endorphins or enjoy escapism any more with high def than they will with standard definition viewing. The underlying assumption is that HDTVs are brighter, and therefore more capable of providing these happy feelings, but there's no data to quantify that idea.
Still, perhaps Sky's "Happier Days Guide" will yield helpful information for all viewers, no matter what they're watching on. For instance, "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Run, Fat Boy, Run" uplift the spirits and help release seratonin while "Bee Movie" and "Sleepless In Seattle" release those feel-good endorphins through humor.
Wait, "Sleepless In Seattle" is funny? It's those kinds of claims that discredit this entire pile of psychoanalysis.
