While summer might be over there’s one reason we’re majorly excited for autumn. Yep, the colder weather means we no longer feel guilty about our marathon sessions on Netflix. And according to new research there is an additional reason why you’ll be watching back to back episodes of Stranger Things/The Get Down/OITNB (delete as appropriate).
A new paper from The University of Aberdeen aptly titled ‘Let’s stay home and watch TV: The benefits of shared media use for close relationships’ found that a Netflix addiction could actually be beneficial for your love life.
The study questioned university students about the quality of their relationship as well as their TV and film watching habits, and found a direct correlation between the amount of time spent watching box sets or movies and how committed they felt to their partner.
The academics suggested that discussing plot lines, themes and characters helped couples bond and connect. They found that shared binges on services such as Netflix were directly linked with ‘greater independence, closeness and confidence’ in a relationship.
The effect was found to be particularly apparent if the couple did not share a large amount of mutual friends. Instead the characters in the shows they were watching almost served like a real-life social circle. ‘Shared media can enhance interdependence and allow people to compensate for lacking a shared social network in the real-world’ the study said.
It's time to curl up on that sofa...