A large Dutch study of more than 65,000 adults over four years found that replacing 60 minutes of TV viewing per day with other activities reduced the overall risk of depression by 11 percent. In middle-aged adults, the effect was more pronounced, with the risk reduced by nearly 19 percent. The more time people reallocate from television to other activities, the greater the benefit, with replacing up to two hours of television reducing the risk of midlife depression by up to 43 percent. So research shows that a simple change in daily routine – swapping passive TV viewing for more active activities – can significantly reduce the risk of developing major depression, especially in middle-aged people.