Does Binge-Watching Make Us Depressed?

Posted on February 10, 2015



The most recent findings on binge-watching associated people who binge on television with depression, loneliness and an inability to control their behavior.

"Our findings in our research show that those who feel more depressed tend to watch more programs," Yoon Hi Sung, a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin and the lead researcher in the study, tells Shots.

Of the 316 people who answered an online survey, 237 met the researchers' definition of binge-watching. They were more likely than the non-binge viewers to admit behaviors associated with depression, lack of self-regulation or loneliness.

But the study didn't find that binge-watching will make you depressed, out of control or lonely; it merely suggests a connection. As with any new social phenomenon, scientists are scrambling to catch up with human behavior. And when it comes to binge-watching, researchers readily admit that they're not there yet.

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Category(s):Addictions, Depression

Source material from NPR