Entertainment

I've hit a point in my life where I feel like I need to write some stuff down.
Today I wanted to cover the reasons why we read books and watch tv and movies. I know, kind of an odd topic to start things off with, but a quick look around my apartment would provide some perspective. I have books in every drawer, with DVD's crammed into the blank spots. My computer has enough ebooks, tv shows, and movies that I'm contemplating getting an external hard drive. What prompted me to become such a consumer of entertainment media? The answer is pretty simple - I have no life :)
Its actually a bit more complicated than that. You see, studies have shown that most people have at most 4 or 5 "close" friends. The average is more like 1 or 2. We are by nature social creatures - we desire to make contact with others. When we can't fulfill that need through our natural interactions with each other, we'll turn to other sources that offer the same type of connection. Books are one of the best sources, as many books are written in such a way that we see into the most private thoughts of one or more characters. TV shows and movies take a different approach to intimacy by slowly revealing pieces of the character (whether its things that have happened in the past, or shots with only one character in the room) that trick us into thinking that we really know this creation. Its actually the perfect relationship - its all take and no give. After all, you don't bare your deepest secrets to your favorite tv character after they've finished baring theirs. There is the high that comes from learning something important about someone else, without the fear that comes knowing that you'll have to trust them as they trusted you.
To me, that's the main reason why we read books and watch tv. There is another compelling reason. We all lead stressful lives, and books and tv shows are a great escape from our perspective. We are thrust into the perspective of someone else, and are forced to deal with their challenges and difficulties. However, we don't actually have to solve them, so the stress involved doesn't transfer to us. Its a rush, and it blocks out for a time the things that weigh us down. For example, its thrilling to read about a character being stalked by a stranger with a gun, but should that happen to us or to someone we care about, the situation evokes a completely different response. In a sense, entertainment works on the same level as drugs and alcohol - for a time, they whisk us away from the troubles of everyday life, into a place where we are free to drop those problems and simply enjoy life. It doesn't last, but it does keep us hooked.
I'm not saying entertainment is bad at all - its a key component of our lives. It can help fulfill needs on a basic level. But when its over, its back to the real world - the world where problems do need to be solved, and where our decisions really matter.
Those are my ideas - what do you think?