Binge-watching isn't the positive cousin of other negative binge activities.
By Dr Samineh I. Shaheem/Out of Mind
Published: Fri 15 Jan 2016, 11:00 PM
Last updated: Sat 16 Jan 2016, 11:39 AM
Our love for television has been around for as long as the 'idiot box' first entered our homes decades ago and is still a staple pastime for many. More recently, the way we connect with content and characters has transformed, resulting in a situation where people spend hours, days and sometimes entire weekends obsessively consuming programmes. The offspring of a media junkie and couch potato (someone who hardly exercises and watches a lot of television) is the binge watcher - the zealous viewer of multiple episodes of a television programme in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming.
With the arrival of demand portals like Netflix, it's as if we've been given the keys and full control to a magical movie machine. Of course our insatiable curiosity for this exhaustive world of fiction coupled with throwing moderation out the window sometimes resembles the behaviour of an irresponsible adolescent who hasn't yet tasted the consequences of their reckless and excessive behaviour.
This curiosity isn't just for the story line; as human beings, we're programed to be aware of and sympathize with the challenges of others. Yoon Hi Sung, Eun Yeon Kang and Wei-Na Lee, researchers from the University of Texas scientifically explore our fascination with other people's predicaments and look at the causes and effects of binge-watching. 'It all started out with this word 'binge' which has this negative connotation - That's what got us curious.'
Unfortunately, binge-watching isn't the positive cousin of other negative binge activities. It's quite similar with binge-eating and binge-drinking in that lengthy sitting and viewing result in a number of psychological and physiological concerns and can be addictive. As Dr Richard Rosenthal of St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York said 'Anything that causes pleasure is potentially abusable when matched up against the ability of your forebrain to regulate it.'
Sung, Kang and Lee surveyed 316 people between the ages of 18 and 29 on how often they watched TV, how often that was binge-watching and the regularity with which they experience feelings of 'loneliness, depression and self-regulation deficiency.' The results showed a correlation between those participants who were more inclined to be lonely or depressed and binge-watching television episodes as they use excessive viewing as a way to suppress problems and distract themselves from negative thoughts and feelings. McCracken, who's an anthropologist, concluded that 'we're actually craving the long narratives that today's best television series can provide. Instead of dealing with our life's stresses by zoning out - we'd rather become engrossed in an entirely different (and fictional) world.'
So let's change channels for a moment from our favorite show to this discussion in order to better understand why we need to limit our time dancing with drama.
> It's more difficult for bingers to appreciate great content when guzzled down instantly, rather than watching it more traditionally when we used to allow ideas to sink in and actually felt the thrill of anticipation of the next episode.
> The sedentary activity results in not just consuming more content, but to also consume more calories, resulting in weight gain and other health issues such as diabetes, cholesterol and even cancer.
> If you're binge-watching, try not to bing-eat and bing-sit as well. Get on the elliptical or treadmill for some of the series marathon duration. Try snaking on healthy treats such as carrot and cucumber sticks rather than chips and popcorn.
> Binge-watching affects our ability to fall asleep, quality of sleep and concentration levels the day after.
> Researchers in Australia have found that, on average, every single hour of TV watching after age 25 reduces life expectancy by close to 22 minutes.
> Your watching sprees can make you feel detached from those around you. People often describe being less talkative and more withdrawn after prolonged viewing which can harm their relationships.
> Real time gets distorted as we control the time periods of the story by watching episodes back to back.
> Binge-viewing is an isolating experience. Take a break from watching and instead get together with a group of friends to have a juicy conversation about your favorite series.
> Personal hygiene takes a back seat.
> Lack of sleep may result in a drop in academic or professional performance.
> Constant exposure to drama can cause stress, a lingering sense of anxiety and drastically impact your mood. Researchers at UC Irvine have revealed that repeated exposure to traumatic events could even lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms over time.
It's harmless to curl up on the couch on a lazy weekend afternoon to watch a few episodes of your favorite show. However, when preoccupation with fiction overrides your connection to reality, this behavior becomes compulsive, negatively affecting other aspects of your life. Remember, programs are there to entertain you, not endanger your well-being.
Dr Samineh I. Shaheem is an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Learning & Development People Specialist. Please forward your thoughts/ suggestions for future articles to OutOfMindContact@gmail.com
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