New research on the television watching habits of Americans could shed light on the obesity epidemic. The results: we sit on our asses a lot. And by “a lot,” I mean pretty much most of the time.

Nielsen has announced the results of its second annual media consumption survey, which found that television and Internet usage continues to increase…

The measurement company said the average person in the U.S. watched 142 hours of TV a month, up 4% from last year.

The average American watches 142 hours of TV a month, up 4% from last year

People who used the Internet were online 27 hours a month, up 6%, and those who watched video on mobile phones watched three hours a month, unchanged compared with a year ago.

“Americans keep finding more time to spend with the three screens,” Nielsen vice chairperson Susan Whiting said. “TV use is at an all-time high, yet people are also using the Internet more often — 31% of which is happening simultaneously.”

But who could blame us? Between the two-year presidential campaign, the Olympics in China, watching one wheel at a time fall off of the economy, the horrific siege of Mumbai, and all the other news, there’s just a lot to keep up with. And with 4.43 million of us unemployed, what else have we got to do?