I enjoy cartoons more than regular TV shows because they can be wild with the imagination. A lot of people think this is childish. They rather watch "Reality TV" shows.
I'm the same, I watch a lot of anime because it sparks some great thoughts. What if the world was like X, what if we could do this, why is this like that etc. It gets me questioning a lot of things. It definitely gets my imagination going a lot more then reality shows like you said. ( although I do enjoy mellowing out and watching them every now and then )