• Violence – Research on media violence and its relationship to real-life aggression is substantial and convincing. Young persons learn their attitudes about violence at a very young age and, once learned, those attitudes are difficult to modify. Conservative estimates are that media violence may be associated with 10 percent of real-life violence.
• Sex – Several longitudinal studies have linked exposure to sex in the media to earlier onset of sexual intercourse. The media represent an important access point for birth control information for youth; however, the major networks continue to balk at airing contraception advertisements at the same time they are airing unprecedented amounts of sexual situations and innuendoes in their primetime programs.

You can read more about it here:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602111814.htm

• Drugs – Witnessing smoking scenes in movies may be the leading factor associated with smoking initiation among youth. In addition, young persons can be heavily influenced by alcohol and cigarette advertising. More than $20 billion a year is spent in the United States on advertising cigarettes ($13 billion), alcohol ($5 billion), and prescription drugs ($4 billion).
• Obesity – Media use is implicated in the current epidemic of obesity worldwide, but it is unclear how. Children and adolescents view an estimated 7,500 food advertisements per year, most of which are for junk food or fast food. Contributing factors to obesity may include that watching television changes eating habits and media use displaces more active physical pursuits.
• Eating Disorders – The media are a major contributor to the formation of an adolescent’s body self-image. In Fiji, a naturalistic study of teenage girls found that the prevalence of eating disorders increased dramatically after the introduction of American TV programs.

You can read the research here:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602171941.htm

It has long been believed that reflecting on your values raises your self esteem and so makes you less defensive when you have to address your problems. However this study has shown that reflecting on values makes you more focussed on others which makes them more loving and connected to others.

You can read more about this study here:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080722113022.htm

My own feeling is that both theories have merit. That reflecting on your values can raise your self esteem and help look beyond themselves.

I would recommend anyone to take some time to think about their values. Why not try doing it this way:

Write a list of values and then pick 5 of these as your main values.

Now rank that list in order of importance.

Then write for 10 minutes on why you think the one you have picked as number 1 is so important.

Why not let us know what your favoured values are by leaving a comment below.