"binge-watch" was a contender for the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year. The rise of watching multiple episodes of a TV show in a single sitting was pointed to by the fact that it didn't win.
Millions of us regularly consume our favorite series in this way. It's very easy to do because of the proliferation of streaming services. Research shows that many of us spent more time binge-watching.
Can binge-watching become problematic? What can you do if you can't tear yourself away?
Problematic binge-watching isn't defined by the number of episodes watched or the amount of time spent on the computer or TV screen. Binge-watching is an addictive behavior, so it's more important if it's having a negative impact on other aspects of the person's life.
I've argued for many years that addictive behaviors comprise six core components. This would be related to binge-watching.
The most important thing in a person's life is binge-watching.
The person engages in binge-watching as a way of changing their moods, either temporarily or in the long-term, to feel better in the short-term or to escape from something negative in their life.
Binge-watching can affect key aspects of a person's life.
Over time, the number of hours the person spends binge-watching has increased.
If a person can't binge-watch, they experience psychological and/or physiological withdrawal symptoms.
If a person temporarily stops binge-watching, they go back into the same cycle they were in before.
Any person who completes these six components would be addicted to binge-watching. A person who only watches a few of these would not be considered as addicted by my criteria.
Binge-watching addiction is not officially recognized in any mental health manual. We don't have accurate estimates of the prevalence of problematic binge-watching. There is growing research into this phenomenon.
There is a look at the evidence.
A research team in Poland surveyed 645 young adults and all of them said that they had watched at least two episodes of one show in a single sitting. The researchers wanted to understand the reasons for binge-watching.
The authors used a survey they developed in an earlier study to assess problematic binge-watching among participants. How often do you neglect your duties to watch a show? How often do you not get enough sleep because you can't watch the TV series?
The answers had to be on a six-point scale. A score above a certain threshold is indicative of problematic binge-watching.
The researchers found that impulse control difficulties, lack of premeditation, and watching to avoid feeling lonely were some of the most significant predictors of problematic binge-watching.
The researchers reported in an earlier study that problematic binge-watching had a significant association with anxiety-depressive syndrome. The more problematic a person's binge-watching was, the greater the symptoms of anxiety and depression were.
The findings have been reported by other studies. A study of Taiwanese adults found binge-watching was associated with depression, anxiety and loneliness.
The behavior was found to be associated with depression. Relating studies like this one from Portugal have shown that the main motivation of problematic binge-watching is the desire to escape.
According to research, problematic binge-watching is associated with low conscientiousness and high neuroticism, which is related to being anxious and prone to negative emotions. These types of associations are more common in addictive behaviors.
If you want to cut down on the number of episodes you watch in one sitting, my golden rule is to stop watching mid-way through an episode. It's hard to stop watching when the show ends with a cliff-hanger.
I suggest setting realistic limits. If I have work the next day, it's 2.5 hours for me, or 5 hours if I don't. After you've done everything you need to in terms of work and social obligations, start watching as a reward to yourself.
The difference between a healthy enthusiasm and an addiction is that the former adds to your life, whereas the latter detracts from it.
If you feel that binge-watching is taking over your life, you should seek a referral from your GP to see a clinical psychologist. There are underlying problems that lead to most addictions.
The Director of the International Gaming Research Unit is a professor at Trent University.
The Conversation's article is a Creative Commons licensed one. The original article can be found here.
