With easy access to unlimited movies and shows, the average binge-watch session lasts 3 hours and 8 minutes. With over 200 streaming services available worldwide, this has led to a rise in binge-watching. Binge-watching is classified as watching a lot of entertainment content in the same sitting or in a short amount of time. The word binge-watch first came in 2003 but initially grew in popularity from 2011 to 2015 when services such as Netflix offered entire shows on demand. In 2015 “binge-watch” was named word of the year by the Collins English Dictionary. Now nearly a decade later, binge-watching has become a huge thing among people of all ages.
According to heinz.cmu.edu currently, around 70% of Americans say that they binge-watch television shows. This may seem worrisome, but it’s actually quite impressive. Although you can’t blame them, who wants to read their history textbook when they can watch their favorite show for hours instead? Binge-watching has become more of an art than an unhealthy addiction. Binging a show gives the brain a shot of dopamine, a hormone that plays a role in motivation, pleasure, and learning. Not having too much dopamine can be harmful, therefore binging your favorite show can be good for you at times. Binging can also create healthy escapism, as it can help viewers escape from times of stress or anxiety. This calmness viewers find when watching something they enjoy is much better than scrolling through apps like social media. Studies show that social media is harmful to kids, and most adults agree with this fact. One study by Common Sense Media reported that 70% of youth users said they felt “left out” or excluded when using social media. Another study by the American Psychiatric Association reported that 38% of adults see social media usage as harmful to mental health. Therefore binging T.V. is a far better option for a time of enjoyment, as it does not have the same negative mental effects as social media. Instead, it helps viewers take a break from the social media madness and escape from times of stress and anxiety. Binging your favorite show is supposed to be a time of relief and joy, not a time of depression and sadness, which is brought on by social media.
Although binge-watching isn’t necessarily a bad habit, overdoing it can have negative effects on sleep, physical and mental health. According to a new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a whopping 88% of U.S. adults admitted they had lost sleep due to staying up binge-watching a show. Sleep is one of the most important feats a human can get, as it improves brain function/health, physical health, and emotional well-being. Along with sleep, overdoing it can lead to depression, due to its social isolation. Some people use its isolation factor to escape their depression, rather than using it for a simple time of enjoyment. Physically, binge-watching can lead to back problems and a lack of physical activity. This is primarily due to poor posture and not balancing physical activity with it. If these negative factors are the case, how can we prevent our favorite show from getting in the way of our sleep and health? The answer is: set limits and balance it with other important activities. These include exercise, seeing friends, and reading. Binge-watching is supposed to be a good time for you, not a self-destruction on your next day.
