The content of television programs today ranges from the highly probable to the highly bizarre. Characters are often placed in extremely realistic or totally outlandish scenarios. But whatever the content, there is something for everyone and the audience keeps watching. Nowadays, a viewer can instantly go from watching an hour-long quasi-reality show that studies the lives of promiscuous 20-somethings on the Jersey shore to a 30-minute mockumentary that focuses on life not so monotonous in the office for an hour-long story about plane crash survivors and an island full of mystery. With so much to choose from, it's easy to worry about what kind of content you're feeding your brain. On the surface, television serves as entertainment. It is a diversion from everyday life, a form of relaxation and a source of entertainment. While many television shows can be scrutinized for their unrealistic plots and apparent lack of moral value, many can and do end up being food for thought with the potential to bring the viewer more than meets the eye. Numerous studies demonstrate that, despite the negative aspects of the content of some television programs available to the public, most of the time the viewer is influenced in a positive way on a cognitive, emotional and intellectual level. Jersey Shore, an MTV TV show that's gaining popularity for being notoriously promiscuous, may (if not somewhat surprisingly) offer its viewers more than just a no-holds-barred look at binge drinking and bar fights. Jersey Shore primarily seeks to entertain its audience and in doing so makes a point of maintaining MTV's usual amount of vulgarity (case in point: it garnered widespread controversy for its footage of a physical assault). Even if it is a…paper medium…appears on television, a viewer can sometimes connect it to situations in their own life. Characters can often serve as examples, and as such, when their actions have positive consequences, this can influence the viewer to do the same. While there are numerous so-called "trash" television programs available for entertainment, the viewer's most important task is to think more critically about what they are seeing. In fact, a viewer can watch almost anything and get some sort of cognitive stimulation from it. There's no harm in watching the promiscuity of young people (or even older people, as evidenced by ABC's Desperate Housewives) as long as the viewer listens to the underlying plight of the characters and thinks more critically about the plots. This way any show, regardless of content, will be more rewarding and ultimately more entertaining for the viewer.