Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolinians spend more time watching TV, relaxing and thinking than residents in most other states, according to a BusinessWeek study released on Tuesday that ranks the Tar Heel state the fourth laziest, behind Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Residents on average each day spend eight hours sleeping, nearly three hours watching TV, about 25 minutes thinking and nearly an hour socializing, according to the study. The average North Carolinian, aged 15 and older, spends nearly three hours working.

"I don't know what their definition is of thinking," Lamar Caulder, of Raleigh, said. "How could that possibly make you lazy?"

"We are hardworking people," said Larry Robinson, a cook at Watkin's Grill in Raleigh. "We treat people right. We're responsible."

The study cited a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention where more than one-fourth of respondents said they had not exercised in the past month. It also noted the state's obesity rate, which is tied with Michigan for 10th in the nation.

"Let them come to see if we're lazy," Caulder said.

The laziest states list was based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey from 2004 to 2008. The survey averaged the time spent each day on various activities across the population ages 15 and older, including people who did not do the activity at all.

Leisure time spent on physically inactive activities, including surfing the Web, were considered against factors, such as time spent exercising, playing sports, working and the state's median age, which is 36.

Residents in North Dakota and Hawaii reported the least amount of inactive leisure time, the study found.