A new study suggests binge-watching TV can shift from a harmless habit to an addiction when driven by loneliness.
Binge-watching your favourite TV show may feel like a harmless way to unwind, but people who watch to the point of addiction are more likely to feel lonely, according to new research.
The study published in the journal PLOS One, found a link between lonelinessand binge-watching addiction, suggesting some people may be using television series to cope with social disconnection.
Researchers Xiaofan Yue and Xin Cui from Huangshan University in China analysed survey responses from 551 adults who were heavy TV consumers. All participants watched at least 3.5 hours of TV per day and more than four episodes per week.
More than six in ten participants (334 people) met the criteria for binge-watching addiction, which included "experiencing obsession, increases in TV consumption, and negative impacts on daily life", such as on work or relationships.
Among this group, higher levels of loneliness were significantly associated with more severe binge-watching addiction. This link was not found among heavy viewers who did not meet the criteria for addiction, suggesting that addictive binge-watching may be driven by different psychological factors.
Why people binge-watch and the risk of loneliness
The researchers also examined why people pick up binge-watch habits and found that loneliness was closely tied to two key factors: escapism and "emotional enhancement". This suggests that people who feel lonely may turn to TV both to avoid negative emotions and to seek comfort or pleasure.
Previous studies have tied loneliness to mental distress, worse mental well-being, poorer physical health, and lower quality of life.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that loneliness affects 16 per cent of people worldwide, and views social disconnection as a “serious threat to global health”.
Social isolation and loneliness are also linked to a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety, according to the WHO.
Limitations of the study
But the binge-watching study has its limitations. It shows an association rather than a direct cause-and-effect relationship, which means it cannot prove that loneliness leads to addictive binge-watching.
The researchers also focused only on television consumption and did not examine other forms of screen use, such as short-form content like YouTube or TikTok.
Still, the findings highlight how excessive media consumption may act as a coping strategy for people struggling with social isolation.
“This study advances our understanding of binge-watching by differentiating between addictive and non-addictive forms, demonstrating that loneliness significantly predicts binge-watching addiction, while escapism and emotional enhancement serve as dual pathways of emotion regulation," the authors of the study wrote.
Researchers say further studies are needed to explore whether reducing loneliness could help prevent or address problematic binge-watching behaviours.
