Does Entertainment Keep Us Healthy?

Why do we read books, watch movies and TV, and play games so much? Why do we often look forward to these things when we are driving home from work or school? I've been looking online for statistical data about stress relief as related to the entertainment industry, but so far, I haven't found anything. Without studies that I can reference, though, I believe I can present a solid theory with some strong supporting evidence. You might even be able to add your own experience to help support this theory. It's nothing profound and is maybe even rather obvious, but I think our culture—at least here in America—is so stressful and busy that we need entertainment to counter-balance our stress. People from different cultures have different ways to release stress, but here in America, I think we really rely on movies, TV, and games as a form of stress relief. Stress relief from our lives, but also, from the reality of the world. Let's face it: we have far more access to reality than ever before. The internet brought information about the entire world to our computers, but now we can carry it with us everywhere we go with our smartphones. And during any downtime—waiting in line at the store, sitting at home quietly with family on the couch, or even lying awake at night while trying to fall asleep—we have the “go-to” habit of picking up our phone to browse. What's going on in the world? It's a constant barrage of information, with updates sometimes every few minutes. Yet with all this access to information, do we ever stop to wonder if we really should be inundating ourselves with it so constantly? Is it healthy for us to be mentally shouldering all of the cares of the world on a daily basis?