Do you ever finish a season of your favourite show, and feel a lil’ depressed and very empty on the inside? SAME. You’re not alone, friendo.
A new study from the University of Toledo in the US shows that binge-watching whole seasons (or multiple seasons, if you’re anything like this writer) can contribute to negative mental health.
THAT’S CORRECT! So all those times you were like ‘ugh, I’m a little bit hungover and my bed is comfy, I’m just gonna stay in bed a bit longer and watch some Parks & Recreation to make me feel better’ and then all of a sudden it was six hours later and you still hadn’t showered – turns out that might be bad for you! Who knew.
Researchers in this study reckon that “with the advent of novel media for viewing television, binge-watching is a growing public health concern that needs to be addressed.”
They count ‘binge-watching’ as anything from 2-5 hours of television in one day (excuse you?) and suggest that this amount of TV-watchin’ is somehow linked to higher stress – but they’re not quite sure why yet.
“Too many consecutive hours of TV and depression ARE linked — but cause and effect isn’t clear.”
The study found that 35% of participants qualified as binge-watchers AND reported higher levels of depression and anxiety, than those who did not watch hours upon hours of telly in one go.
So, in summary – don’t leave the house and go to the pub, state governments reckon it is very dangerous and you’ll get hurt (especially if it’s past 1:30am). But also, don’t stay in and watch TV all night either, you’ll hurt yourself.
From now on, let’s all sit in a protective plastic bubble and stare at a wall. Everything is bad for you. Huzzah!
Source: APHA.
Photo: Jonathon Nackstrand / Getty.
