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I watched the entire season of the newly released Squid Game series on Netflix, in two days. That’s nine episodes, each almost an hour long. To some people, this may sound extreme. Nowadays, however, binge watching has become more and more common. When season two of ‘Stranger Things’ was released, 361 thousand people watched all nine episodes on the first day.
In fact, from 2019 to 2020, the amount of time people spent streaming video per week increased by nearly 75 percent. This increase is enhanced by streaming services like Netflix catering more and more towards binge-watchers: whole seasons of TV shows are available at once, these shows are uninterrupted by adverts, and often the next episode is played automatically. As a result, binge-watching a whole series in one night has been normalised.
But what is the psychology behind binge-watching? According to Dr. John Mayer, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist, binge-watching is often a coping mechanism to deal with stress or anxiety. In today’s society, people are constantly bombarded with information and TV may be used as a way to escape this stress. As our thoughts are occupied and stimulated by this whole new world, we can forget our day to day lives.
Viewers often also feel good as they watch another episode, but they also might feel like they cannot stop. According to Dr Renee Carr, a clinical psychologist, this feeling is due to the dopamine that is continually released in your brain as you watch episode after episode. “This chemical gives the body a natural, internal reward of pleasure that reinforces continued engagement in that activity,” explains Carr, a feeling that binge-watchers may start to crave or chase. She describes it as a “drug-like high.”
Binge-watchers may even experience symptoms of behavioural addiction. For example, have you ever lied to cover up your binge-watching habits? This is, in fact, a form of minimizing or hiding the extent of the problem. Or perhaps, have you neglected certain responsibilities or even hygiene practices in favor of watching another episode? You may have even experienced symptoms of withdrawal, such as depression or irritability, when trying to stop. Other symptoms of a behavioural addiction include becoming dependent on the behavior as a way to cope with emotions, continuing despite physical or mental harm, and being unable to cut back despite wanting to stop.
But how does binge-watching actually affect our cognitive functioning? Three studies presented in May of this year at a health conference measured brain health with surveys, cognitive tests and brain MRI scans after either low, moderate or high TV watching. The studies found that those who self-reported moderate or excessive amounts of TV watching experience greater cognitive decline and reduced gray matter in their brains later in life. However, the research in this area remains insufficient to come to concrete conclusions.
Are these effects noticeable to the standard binge-watcher? In the long term, yes, effects of sustained binge-watching on your cognitive ability will probably be much more evident in your day-to-day life. In the short term, however, the effects on your cognitive ability may not be that noticeable. You may notice a struggle to remember names or faces or certain words, which may not necessarily be entirely as a result of binge watching. Nevertheless, symptoms of behavioural addiction and the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle will be much more prominent.
