Recently, we reported that binge-watching telly can seriously affect our mental health and sex lives, and now, we've decided to investigate exactly what it does to our brains. Why? Well, because a study by Three revealed that 46% of all 16-24 year olds binge watch all shows. That's a lot of us, most of whom probably have no idea on what our telly-watching habits are doing to our minds.
There are several studies out there that suggest that binge-watching can have both positive and negative effects on our brain (although the negative ones seem to outweigh the positive ones). For example, according to Professor Barrie Gunter from the University of Leicester, 'mentally, a propensity to binge-watch has been linked statistically to an increased report of loneliness and depression. The scientific evidence on the last point has not yet proven causality.' Ironically, most of us binge in isolation to seek refuge from a busy, stressful life, so maybe we're the ones to blame for our loneliness?
It's interesting to note then, that a binge session can infact cause us more mental stress and send our minds into overdrive. Why? Well, gripping TV shows like Stranger Things and *Making A Murderer *often have complex narratives and emotionally multi-layered characters. Binge-watching such intense shows can be both mentally and emotionally taxing, especially when you invest yourself in the plot and characters, as we often do when it comes to our favourite TV series. And it's this emotional drainage that could be having negative effects on our brains.
Gunter also mentioned that 'with children, too much TV viewing has been linked to adverse cognitive effects such as poorer attention, less reflection, and can undermine abilities to process information through reading.' When you think about it, doing the same activity over and over again, like binge-watching 4 hours of the same TV programme, means that you'll activate certain parts of the brain, while other areas will be less stimulated. And when the brain isn't challenged, it can have a negative effect on your development.
A study by*JAMA Psychiatry *adds more insight to this statement. It was discovered that 'high television viewing and low physical activity in early adulthood were associated with worse midlife executive function and processing speed.' Essentially, binge-watching during your millennial years may not have side effects now, but it will impact on your cognitive behaviour as you age. Scary!
In terms of actual brain activity, Dr Robert F. Potter - who is the director of the Institute for Communication Research at Indiana University - suggested in a study for the Journal of Advertising Research that after 30 minutes of TV watching, your brain activity will be in the right hemisphere (the area which deals with emotion), instead of the left, which focuses on logical thought. On top of this, your body will release endorphins, which are the chemicals that make us feel good. You could say that this release of endorphins is what makes us get hooked on a TV show. And if watching TV makes us feel so good, it's easy to see why we're addicted to it.
As well as affecting our brains, binge-watching can take its toll physically, too. Gunter states that 'a lot of concern has centred on the adverse health effects of sitting still for hours on end. This kind of inertia is bad for circulation, not good for the heart, and has been linked to increased risk of diabetes especially if accompanied, as it often is, by eating too much of the wrong foods.' Doesn't sound great, does it?
So, while it's probably not the best idea to regularly binge-watch (what with all the negative cognital effects), every once in a while isn't going to cause any harm. After all, who doesn't want a rush of feel-good endorphins?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.