# Are you a mouse potato? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345 "2008-08-18T01:01:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/1 "2008-08-18T01:01:39Z")
Term coined by some trendologist a number of years ago. It doesn’t seem to have caught on. I spend way too much time sitting at my computer. I use it for my work, but also for just vegging. It is my main leisure activity. I think I need to curtail my use. Would you consider yourself a mouse potato? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/2 "2008-08-18T01:10:15Z")
Absolutely. I’ll veg in front of the computer much more than I’ll veg in front of the tv. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/3 "2008-08-18T02:01:08Z")
For most of the past year and a half I was both a mouse and a couch potato. I had a laptop on a small table in my living room, and I would watch TV and surf online at the same time. Now, however, I have my computer in a separate room. And I’ve trying to avoid vegging out in front of either my computer or my TV. Unfortunately, not very successfully, yet. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/4 "2008-08-18T02:14:51Z")
The term “potato” as used in “couch potato” implies inactivity, at least to me. So a mouse potato would be a contradiction in terms. You have to actively move the mouse to make use of it. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/5 "2008-08-18T02:31:16Z")
A couch potato has to move his (or her) hand to use the remote to change channels or adjust the volume. Seems to me that’s about the same level of (in)activity. And, of course, both mouse potatoes and couch potatoes still have to move enough to take a drink and shove their snack of choice into their mouths. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/6 "2008-08-18T02:35:28Z")
Hell yes. Admittedly, I don’t have cable so I don’t really have the option of being a couch potato (or bed potato since my tv is in my bedroom), but I can easily spend the whole day on the internet, usually alternating between here and scans\_daily. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/7 "2008-08-18T03:15:28Z")
Mouse potato? Yep. Not proud of it, but there you go. A lot of what interests me involves being on the computer. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/8 "2008-08-18T03:26:26Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] You have to actively move the mouse to make use of it. [/QUOTE] My mouse pointer can go anywhere on the screen while my wrist keeps a single stationary point of contact with the desk. I think the threshold for what you consider “activity” may be a little too low. ---
**Author:** ![Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/9 "2008-08-18T04:04:18Z")
Total mouse potato. The TV is for PVR, DVD, or XBox. I almost never watch live TV. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/10 "2008-08-18T07:15:08Z")
Apart from not actually using a mouse (I have a drawing tablet) I sit far too long in front of my computer, especially since I’ve started watching a lot of my TV this way. I don’t mind so much, though I do wonder if it would look bad to anyone looking in. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/11 "2008-08-18T11:28:40Z")
Guilty as charged. I spend way too much time in front of the computer, even when I’m not working. ---
**Author:** ![legalsnugs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@legalsnugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legalsnugs)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/12 "2008-08-18T13:21:04Z")
Yeah. Total mouse potato. I even watch DVDs on my laptop. I don’t have a tv. But I can quit whenever I want to! Really… I just don’t want to. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrknButterfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@BrknButterfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrknButterfly)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/13 "2008-08-18T13:25:08Z")
At work I am constantly on the computer, though at home I’m not so much anymore. Normally I will come home, turn on the TV and the lap top. After looking at my few regular website, I get bored and shut it off. End up laying on the couch watching tv. I dunno why, but lately the internet makes me bored. ---
**Author:** ![mudkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@mudkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mudkicker)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/14 "2008-08-18T14:33:24Z")
Yes. I’m meant to be working right now… ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/15 "2008-08-18T14:41:01Z")
Yes ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-mouse-potato/460345/16 "2008-08-18T15:57:33Z")
Probably more than I would like. At least with the computer you are doing something mentally active - reading something interesting on Wikipedia, blogging/IMing/Facebooking/messageboarding with people, playing videogames, etc. TV you’re just staring at the tv.