In 2013, the term binge-watch became a contender for the word of the year of the Oxford English Dictionary, but "selfie" ultimately took the crown. Regardless, this pointed to a rise of an era of people binge-watching multiple episodes of TV series in just a single sitting as streaming becomes more common and accessible.
Six Components of Addictive Binge-Watching Behavior
Several studies have shown how binge-watching can be problematic and addictive. Mark Griffiths, a Professor of Behavioral Addiction at Nottingham Trent University, wrote in his study published in the Journal of Substance Use that there are six components of addictive behavior. If translated to the problematic behavior of binge-watching, this would mean that:
- Salience- The person considers binge-watching the most important thing in his life.
- Mood Modification- The person engages in binge-watching t feel better in a short time or temporarily escape from negative things in their life.
- Conflict- Binge-watching has already affected people's lives, relationships, education, or work.
- Tolerance- The number of hours a person spends binge-watching increases per day.
- Withdrawal- They experience psychological and/or physiological symptoms of withdrawal if they are unable to binge-watch their favorite TV series.
- Relapse- They easily fall back to binge-watching when they engage in the activity again, even after managing to stop the behavior.
Problematic Binge-Watching Linked to Psychological Disorders
In a recent study, titled "Impulsivity and Difficulties in Emotional Regulation as Predictors of Binge-Watching Behaviors," published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, researchers from Poland surveyed 645 young adults who had watched at least two episodes of one show in a single sitting.
Participants were asked to give answers on a six-point scale to assess problematic binge-watching. According to Science Alert, the team found that difficulties in impulse control, lack of premeditation or difficulties in planning and evaluating the consequences, watching to escape and forget problems, and watching to avoid feeling lonely were the most significant predictors of problematic binge-watching.
Furthermore, another study using the same data showed that problematic binge-watching is significantly associated with anxiety and depression. The higher anxiety levels and the more symptoms of depression they experience, the more people will binge-watch.
Other studies have also reported similar findings, such as the study on Taiwanese adults that found problematic binge-watching was not only linked to anxiety and depression but is also associated with social interaction and loneliness.
In terms of personality traits, research also showed that problematic binge-watching is associated with low conscientiousness and high neuroticism.
How to Break the Habit
According to Very Well Health, the best way to reduce the effects of binge-watching is to make TV watching an occasional pleasure and not do it every day.
That means limiting oneself to several episodes of a show at a time and setting a time limit by setting an alarm or timer. More so, finding a balance between TV-watching and other activities, like exercise, reading, and a hobby, could help break the habit.
It would also benefit them to make TV-watching a social thing by including other people. But most importantly, it is important to make time for bedtime and snack healthily to avoid developing serious diseases.
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