Could your night of binge-watching Netflix actually be a sign of underlying feelings of loneliness and depression?
A recent University of Texas at Austin study found the lonelier and more depressed one is, the more likely they are to binge-watch Television shows, the International Communication Association reported.
To make their findings the researchers surveyed 316 individuals between the ages of 18 and 29 and asked them how often they watched T.V and how frequently they felt lonely or depressed. They determined the patients who had significant feelings of loneliness or depression tended to use bigne-watching to escape from these negative feelings.
The findings also showed people with lower levels of self-control were more likely to binge-watch, and could not stop watching even if they knew they had other responsibilities to take care of.
Binge-watching is a relatively new behavior, so little research has been conducted on its psychological implications. What we do know is that people tend to engage in addictive behaviors to forget about difficult feelings, such as depression and loneliness; lack of self-control has also been known to play a role in addictive behaviors.
"Even though some people argue that binge-watching is a harmless addiction, findings from our study suggest that binge-watching should no longer be viewed this way," said University of Austin researcher Yoon Hi Sung. "Physical fatigue and problems such as obesity and other health problems are related to binge-watching and they are a cause for concern. When binge-watching becomes rampant, viewers may start to neglect their work and their relationships with others. Even though people know they should not, they have difficulty resisting the desire to watch episodes continuously. Our research is a step toward exploring binge-watching as an important media and social phenomenon."
The findings were presented at the 65th Annual International Communication Association Conference.
