In Defense of Binge-Watching

Let's face it, we all binge-watch. Maybe before 2020 rolled along, you could pretend that you didn't, but not now. In various surveys that support these claims, binge-watching is defined as watching at least three TV show episodes consecutively. That's an easy hurdle to clear.

The very concept of binge-watching has negative connotations. Binge-drinking is bad, so is binge-eating. Hence, binge-watching must also be bad. Binge-drinking and binge-eating implicitly imply that what you drink and eat are not very good; you wouldn't call a 12-course tasting menu binge-eating or a wine tasting session binge-drinking. Similarly, the assumption is that binge-watching is watching something you should not watch. But is binge-watching really bad for you?

First, the bad news: There is solid evidence that there is a strong correlation between binge-watching and sleep problems. But as all claims about correlation, this leaves it open what causes what: do we sleep badly because we binge-watch, or do we binge-watch because we sleep badly? Further, binge-watching, as any habit-forming behavior, can lead to addiction in those who are prone to addiction. But of course, in the grand scheme of things, watching TV is a relatively harmless thing to be addicted to (if we compare it to substance-based addictions, but even to other behavioral addictions like gambling addiction).

And it's not all bad news. Much of the negative psychological effects of binge-watching come from thinking that you're doing something you are not supposed to be doing. Watching a trashy feature film takes about 90 minutes. Watching four standard 22-minute TV episodes takes a little less. If it's okay to engage in the former, it should be okay to engage in the latter. If you take the guilt out of the equation, not much negativity remains.

Finally, and most importantly, binge-watching may actually be more fun than watching one episode per week, as we did in the good old days. First of all, there is narrative immersion, you get immersed in the story of the show. This gets interrupted if you wait for a week for the next episode. But not if you binge.

Second, if you wait for the new episode for a week, this creates all kinds of expectations, often fueled by the trailer of the new episode. It gets built up and this very often leads to disappointment (most typically in the case of the highly hyped first episodes of new seasons). If you watch one episode after another, there is no build-up and, as a result, disappointment is less likely.

Third, TV shows these days are made to be binge-watched. Individual episodes used to be self-standing, even if they were part of an 'arc' and even if they ended with a cliff-hanger. This is no longer true. TV shows are now designed to be consumed in one go. If you don't do that, you're missing out. Also, you are more likely to have a disappointing reaction when the episode ends: Is this it?

Of course, it matters what it is that you're binge-watching. If you think the show is not worth watching, then it is not worth binge-watching either. But there is no point in being too tough on yourself for bingeing. You'll do it anyway, and you may as well feel good about it.