Can you be addicted to binge-watching?
"Our behaviors and thoughts, when repeated over time, can become actual neural patterns and habits that are hard to break or change," says
Binge-watching might be considered a behavioral addiction. Having a behavioral addiction means you are dependent on and crave a particular behavior. 13 Behavioral addictions can include anything from gambling to sex and videogames and yes, even, binge-watching.
Generally, having a lazy day in front of the TV every now and again is totally fine. Watching TV all day would only pose a true problem if you were to do it consistently, day in and day out. This decrease in physical activity would put you at great risk of weight gain, heart disease and other conditions.
Watching TV is addictive because it triggers the release of a brain chemical called dopamine, which provides the body with a natural reward of pleasure that makes a person continually engage in the activity.
“Researchers have found that moderate to high television viewing during midlife is associated with increased memory loss and decreased fine motor skills,” explains Manisha Parulekar, M.D., director, division of Geriatrics, and co-director, Center for Memory Loss and Brain Health at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Personality traits
The first is avid binge-watchers, who have high motivation for watching TV, but also have a strong sense of urgency and emotional reactions. The second is recreational binge-watchers, who have the least motivation and do not spend as much time watching TV.
Escapism And Stress Relief
Binge-watching offers an escape from the stresses of daily life. It's a chance to unwind, forget about work or responsibilities, and immerse ourselves in a different world.
Moreover, potential health risks resulting from binge-watching include developing behavioral addictions, sleep problems, sedentary behaviors, and psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, loneliness, and stress).
What's a healthy amount of screen time for adults? Experts say adults should limit screen time outside of work to less than two hours per day. Any time beyond that which you would typically spend on screens should instead be spent participating in physical activity.
Opt for things like veggies and hummus, fruit, or nuts instead of chips and candy. Take physical activity breaks and kitchen or bathroom trips between episodes to get a little movement in. Schedule in some physical activity before bed or after your binge-watching session to counterbalance the sedentary activity.
What does TV addiction look like?
Symptoms of Television Addiction
Studies conducted with self-identified "TV addicts" have shown that those who consider themselves addicted to television are more generally unhappy, anxious, and withdrawn than other people who watch television.
Bingeing TV has been defined as watching multiple episodes of shows in a single sitting. Adobe Stock. Streaming services are all the rage, bringing entertainment to millions of viewers when and where they want it, any time, day or night.
As with other types of addiction, watching TV can boost dopamine production in your brain. The resulting pleasurable feelings act as a “reward” that makes you want to continue watching TV.
- Obesity. Too much time engaging in a sedentary activity, such as playing video games or watching TV, can be a risk factor for obesity. ...
- Sleep problems. ...
- Chronic neck and back pain. ...
- Depression and anxiety.
Too much screen time can also take away from reading, studying, learning activities, play, and exercise. Digital media can also show alcohol and drug use, smoking, and sexual behavior. Your child may see these things before they are emotionally ready to understand these issues. And before they can make good decisions.
According to a 2021 study published in Psychology Research and Behavior Management, binge-watching correlated with mental health symptoms, including stress, loneliness, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.
Working with cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken, who went into living rooms across the U.S. and Canada to talk to viewers about their habits, the survey concluded that binge-watching meant consuming a minimum of two episodes in one sitting, and reported that, across demographics, the session average was 2.3 ...
- Tiger King | John Legend and Kane Brown.
- RuPaul's Drag Race | Nicole Byer.
- The West Wing | Trisha Yearwood.
- Schitt's Creek | Nicholas Hoult.
- Midsommar | Hugh Grant.
- Mad Men | Ellie Kemper.
- Succession, Atlanta ...
However, adults between the ages of 30 and 44 were most likely to be binge-viewers, with 70 percent admitting that they often watched shows and films back to back.
The popularity of uninterrupted watching has been revealed in commercial survey studies. For example, 70% of viewers in the US binge-watch five episodes, and 80% of millennials binge-watch six episodes at a time [4]. Netflix users, on average, finish a season of their favorite shows in less than a week [5].
Is binge-watching bad for the brain?
Engaging in a TV or streaming marathon – or, “binge-watching” – is perfectly fine for your brain, provided you're maintaining some level of overall self-awareness.
Binging creates a natural sense of enjoyment and can also help viewers to relax and relieve their stress. Completing a series can even give viewers a sense of control and power, which can help if viewers don't seem to feel it in their day-to-day life.
There is no consensus on the safe amount of screen time for adults. Ideally, adults should limit their screen time similar to children and only use screens for about two hours a day. However, many adults spend up to 11 hours a day looking at a screen.
Added together, all types of screen time can total 5 to 7 hours a day. Too much screen time can: Make it hard for your child to sleep at night. Raise your child's risk for attention problems, anxiety, and depression.
Collins says ophthalmologists often tout the benefits of the 20-20-20 rule—for every 20 minutes you're on a screen, give your eyes a 20-second break by focusing on something 20 feet or further away. “It helps the eyes from being in this prolonged state of accommodation and focusing on things up close,” she says.
