Britons spend 14 years of life watching TV.

This story is only sad because I've seen British television.

BEIJING, Sept. 20 -- Britons spend 14 years of their life in front of the TV and don't care that much what they are watching, according to a survey released on Friday.

Research for Virgin Media found that 29 percent of Brits spend 20 hours a week watching TV with 71 percent saying they find themselves viewing programs for the sake of it.

The survey also concluded that 13 percent of people could not bear to miss their favorite show.

In total, that means spending 14 years watching TV based on an average lifetime of 78 years.

And if people aren't watching the box then they are talking about it.

According to the research, based on a survey of 2,052 people, 52 percent of those quizzed said the previous night's TV offerings formed the basis of conversation. "We don't realize how much we watch affects us ... so it's rather worrying that 71 percent of us watch stuff for the sake of it," said psychologist Honey Langcaster-James.

Frankly, for a society whose stores close at 5 and bars close at 10, I don't blame them.