Staff
Emma Eskesen
It’s typical of a college student to stay up too late watching TV, but what many people don’t realize is that Netflix and other streaming services are programmed specifically to get viewers addicted.
An article published on HuffPost.com titled “The Netflix Addiction: Why Our Brains Keep Telling Us to Press Play” written by neuroscience professor Catherine L. Franssen states, “Binge-watching shows is here to stay, and Netflix, Hulu and other streaming television companies know it--that's why they released entire seasons of original shows at once, banking that people like you and me will power through episode after episode.”
Streaming services use cliffhangers at the ends of episodes to elicit a stress response in a person’s body, making one more alert and willing to play the next episode. Finishing a season or a series also triggers a dopamine release in the brain, which adds onto the feeling to keep watching.
When asked the latest she has stayed up watching Netflix, Snow College student Camille Cloward says, “Probably 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning.” When surveyed, 10 out of 10 other Snow College students said that they have stayed up past midnight binge-watching TV on a streaming service.
Binge-watching TV shows is not the most dangerous addiction out there, but it’s one that is easy to feed. Advice to avoid this is to set a timer or pause at a slow or transition point in the episode, the show will still be there later.
Safe bingeing, Badgers!