It's the wrong way to enjoy good TV
Just one more episode. Unless you’re a shameless TV glutton, you’ve probably felt conflicted after blasting through three or four episodes of a show in one sitting—or a whole season in one weekend. For some hardcore bingers, finishing up a season so you can move on to the next show can almost seem like a chore. You don’t really feel like another House of Cards, but True Detective is waiting in your queue, and you’ve heard Hannibaland Orange Is the New Black are worth checking out . . .
People who binge watch TV can show addict-like tendencies, explains Jeff Galak, Ph.D., who researches consumer behavior at Carnegie Mellon University. Like a smoker lighting up, you feel a sense of elation the moment you fire up that next episode, Galak says. You may also feel the addict’s self-disgust once the show is underway and you realize you’ve committed another hour of your life to the boob tube.
On the other hand, denying your TV fix can lead to the same physiological discomfort addicts experience when separated from their compulsion, Galak adds. In an Ohio State University study, withdrawal symptoms like depression, a sense of distress, and loneliness all spiked among regular TV viewers denied access to their favorite shows.
The end of a season—and the prospect of waiting months before you’re re-united with your favorite characters—can be especially distressing if you just powered through a show in a few marathon sessions, Galak warns. But for those who space out their television consumption, he says the season-ending comedown is much smoother. Why? Your brain has already acclimated to the loss of access because you’ve been taking a week off in between episodes.
You also derive more enjoyment and pleasure from a show if you space out its episodes, Galak’s research suggests. When you consume slowly, your brain has more time to think about and process what you’ve watched, and to anticipate what might happen next. (Think of all the fun you had dissecting each episode of True Detective, while at the same time trying to guess what would go down in the following week’s episode?) But when you binge-watch, your brain has no chance to contemplate, Galak says. You’re already bombarding it with the next dose of entertainment.
You’re also more likely to become bored and over-full when you consume a show quickly, the research says. Think of it like eating a whole bag of potato chips; the chips at the bottom of the bag never taste as good as the first few because you’re not hungry for them anymore.
Couple all this with the fact that TV is one of the worst habits for your health—each hour of viewing shortens your life by 22 minutes, research has found—and it may be time to start reeling in your evening binge-watching routine. Snapping a rubber band on your wrist and drinking some water are two simple ways to kick a bad habit, studies show.
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