We always hear about how terrible TV is; it contributes to the obesity epidemic, is linked to attention disorders, and harms values by highlighting the worst society has to offer.

Lets take a few steps back. Is TV really that bad? After all, we can choose what we watch (and don’t watch) and no one is forcing you to spend hours a day planted on your couch. Like many things, it's all about selectivity and moderation.

The Norman Lear Center at USC has outlined 10 reasons that TV is GOOD for you. Check out a few of them, below.

TV Can Change Policy

In 2005, Congress unanimously passed the Patient Navigator Act after being shown an episode of ER. An episode of Law & Order that dealt with pesticides elicited an official response from the Environmental Protection Agency.

TV Can Make Us Smarter

Of course you can learn from documentaries and shows on PBS or The History Channel, but Author Steven Johnson (Everything Bad is Good for You) argues that keeping up with increasingly complex storylines in some series can actually make us smarter. He used The Sopranos as an example. Don’t expect the same benefits if you’re watching Jersey Shore.

TV Can Save Lives

By incorporating topics like alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS, or childhood obesity into their storylines, popular TV shows have a unique ability to educate enormous groups of people that might otherwise never take time to learn about a certain issue. In some cases, they might not even know the issue exists. A study showed that, after viewing an episode of Numb3rs about organ donation, people were more likely to register to become donors themselves. TV remains an important means of getting the word out about things like food recalls or new vaccines.

Research has shown that lonely people can benefit from watching favorite characters on TV.

Just remember: all things in moderation.

See the entire list of reasons that TV is good for you here.

"Reality" illustration by Chelsea Myers