The Truth About Binge Watching--The Article
It’s 9 p.m. and you’re planning to go to sleep soon. You have to be up at dawn for a basketball
game. But you want to relax a bit before bed. So you pull up your favorite YouTube channel and
press play.
When the video ends, another one starts immediately. One more can’t hurt, right? But then you
watch a third video. Then a fourth . . . and a fifth . . .
Before you know it, it’s 1 a.m. and you haven’t even brushed your teeth.
If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. In fact, most Americans admit to
binge-watching—that is, watching multiple episodes of a TV show or devoting hour after hour to
platforms like YouTube and TikTok in one sitting.
The occasional binge-watch is fun and harmless. But as binge-watching has become ingrained in
our culture, experts are sounding the alarm. They’re saying that all this screen time is making us
tired and depressed.
So why do we do it? And how can we stop?
Your Bingeing Brain
When your parents were kids, there was basically one way to watch shows: on a television. Back
then, most series released one episode per week. If a show ended on a cliff-hanger, you had to wait
an entire week (in agony!) to find out what happened. Binge-watching was possible only if you
rented or bought VHS tapes or DVDs of the show after it aired.
Today, we have streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus, that provide access to
entire seasons of a show. Thanks to these platforms, we don’t have to wait a week—or even a
minute—to find out what happens to Eleven in Stranger Things
. We just click “Next Episode.”
We don’t binge-watch simply because we can though. We binge-watch because our brains make it
physically difficult to pull ourselves away. Here’s the deal: When you feel pleasure—like when you
bite into a gooey brownie or listen to your favorite song—your brain releases a chemical called
dopamine. That chemical is also released when you watch a video you enjoy. Your brain really
likes
this rush of dopamine, so it eggs you on: “One more! One more!”
Our brains are not entirely to blame however. Streaming platforms are designed in a way that keeps
us watching. Autoplay, where the next video starts automatically, and commercial-free viewing
options mean our eyes stay glued to the screen.
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Bingeing All the Time
Binge-watching isn’t all bad. Zoning out with a good show can help you relax and take your mind off
your worries for a while. And if you turn it into a special event—such as having friends over for a
Supergirl
marathon—it can be a fun way to socialize.
The problem arises when we binge all the time. A 2017 study found that people who binge regularly
are more likely to be chronically tired because they stay up later. They are also more sedentary.
Numerous studies have shown that sitting for long periods of time isn’t good for our physical health.
Then there is the fact that we often binge-watch by ourselves. Too much time alone in front of a
screen has been linked to loneliness and depression.
Here’s another reason not to binge too often: You may not have as much fun. When a show
releases one episode per week—as The Mandalorian
did—it builds excitement and gives people a
chance to talk and analyze between episodes. Research suggests that we may actually enjoy shows
more when we watch them more slowly.*
So how do you know when binge-watching goes too far? Skipping out on time with friends and
family, missing meals, and skimping on sleep are all signs that it’s time to scale back.
How to Beat the Binge
The good news is that you can beat the binge—with a little practice. Dr. Danesh Alam from
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital recommends deciding at the start of the week how
much time to dedicate to shows and videos. You can use Apple’s Screen Time tools to track your
time on apps. You can also disable autoplay on many platforms, including YouTube and Netflix.
If you’re still having trouble, enlist a friend to help. Plan a screen-free hangout on Saturday
afternoons, for example. And when you do binge-watch, take breaks. Walk the dog. Kick a ball
around. Have a dance-off between Mandalorian
episodes (because yes, the entire first season is
now available).
And most important? Turn off the screen one hour before bed. This will help you get a good night’s
sleep. We promise Baby Yoda will still be there tomorrow.
Short Write
What attitude toward binge-watching does the author express?
Complete the following prompts on your own paper or document.
1. Write your answer to the question above.
2. One piece of text evidence that supports your answer is:
3. This evidence supports your answer because:
Now turn your answers to the prompts above into a great short answer. Need help? Use our handy
Short Write Kit
to help you organize your response
.
*Research from the University of Melbourne found that viewers enjoyed shows more when they
watched one episode per day than when they watched an entire season in one sitting.
This article was originally published in the March 2020 issue.
