Proudly watch episode after episode of House of Cards until your eyes go fuzzy? Known to watch Prison Break even when showering/cooking/squatting? Regularly reach the oh-so judgey ‘Are you still watching….’ Netflix message and see it as a glorious badge of honour?
If you finding yourself nodding along like a over-zealous hen and are currently thinking ‘err..so how do you know me so well, have you been rifling through my bins?’ then be careful, because it might not be doing you the world of good.
No shit Sherlock. Of course, binging on TV series in your jammies isn’t the healthiest thing in the world, that is a given, but a new study has revealed that ‘self-confessed bingeathonners’ are at more risk of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
The University of Toledo claims that binge watching TV programmes can negatively impact your health and watching two to five consecutive hours of TV in one day could lead to higher levels of stress.
The survey which was carried out on 406 North Americans and found that the 35% who described themselves as ‘TV-show bingers’ were more likely to report higher stress, anxiety and depression.
The study suggested that those who did binge watch lacked the self regulation to stop after one or two episodes, which indicated addictive behaviour.
Its important to note however that the study only shows a correlation and not a causation. There is definitely not enough evidence to stay saying ‘Netflix is the cause of all the is wrong in the world’ because it probably isn’t. People who are already feeling depressed, may be turning to TV shows for comfort rather than the other way around.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.