Is watching TV bad for your memory?
Dubbed the National Memory Test, the quiz attracted 29,500 people who were tested on tasks such as remembering a shopping list, recalling names, faces and occupations, long-term recall and spotting differences between two photographs.
Those who took part in the test were asked to fill in a survey on a range of habits, such as alcohol consumption, television viewing and reading habits.
The results found no differences between men and women, with the same scores for both groups on all the tasks. But it found television viewing had the main impact on results.
"Turn off the box, or at least don't view too much of it," the survey results said, adding those who watched less than one hour a day performed better at all memory tasks."
Those who drank less than two alcoholic drinks a day performed better at all memory tasks.
People who did crosswords were better at remembering shopping lists and recalling names, while eating fish once a week improved the ability to remember shopping lists.
However, it cautioned that while the test can give people an indication of their memory, the results have not been tested for statistical significance, and the internet survey meant it was possible that people could have cheated or lied.
Pachana said having an active mind was important for memory, and some television programs could be good for helping to improve the memory.
"TV can be a really passive activity, while reading is active, and any active activity is better," she said, adding TV quiz shows and news programs could be good for the mind.
"So TV is not all that bad. It just might be taking time away from doing something that is a bit more active for the mind."
She said health issues such as depression, obesity, lack of sleep and being stressed or worried could have an impact on a person's performance in a memory test.
The test is available on-line at www.nationalmemorytest.net.au.
I am not a TV buff but I don't do enough crosswords either even though I enjoy them. I guess I best spend less time here and more time reading and solving puzzles... grin. Not too likely is it? 
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