I assume I'm not alone in saying that sometimes, you just can't help it but fall down a rabbit hole of binge-watching a TV show. How many times have you woken up on Sunday morning with a to-do list a mile long, but accidentally turn on a new Netflix series during breakfast, only to spend the rest of the day burning through an entire season like your life depended on it? We all do it. IT'S FINE.
In fact, it's totally normal. One Netflix survey found that 61 percent of users binge-watched regularly, meaning they spent between two to six hours watching the same show in one sitting. Not only that, but 73 percent of them say they feel pretty good about this when they do it. Unsurprisingly, there is actually a scientific reason why we all do this and don't feel the least bit guilty about it. In short, our brains are wack.
"When engaged in an activity that's enjoyable such as binge watching, your brain produces dopamine," Dr. Renee Carr, a clinical psychologist, told NBC News. "This chemical gives the body a natural, internal reward of pleasure that reinforces continued engagement in that activity. It is the brain's signal that communicates to the body, 'This feels good. You should keep doing this!' When binge watching your favorite show, your brain is continually producing dopamine, and your body experiences a drug-like high. You experience a pseudo-addiction to the show because you develop cravings for dopamine."
Other things that produce dopamine? Dark chocolate, drugs, exercise and sex. Meaning just like we can get addicted to those things, we can also get addicted to binge-watching.
As is with any other addiction, ending a binge-watch can lead to withdrawal symptoms. You've likely experienced this when you've finished a TV series or even a book series: When you spend a large amount of time immersed in characters' lives, you bond with them like you would someone in real life.
"Our brains code all experiences, be it watched on TV, experienced live, read in a book or imagined, as 'real' memories," says Gayani DeSilva, M.D., a psychiatrist at Laguna Family Health Center in California. "So when watching a TV program, the areas of the brain that are activated are the same as when experiencing a live event. We get drawn into story lines, become attached to characters and truly care about outcomes of conflicts."
When that storyline ends, our brains can go into a sort of depressive state -- we mourn the loss of the characters that we had dedicated hours, days or even weeks to. Similar to when you break up with a romantic partner, you're left with a void in your life and aren't sure how to occupy your time now that the show is over.
The good news is that no only is this totally normal, but it can even be good for you. Binge-watching something is a way to shut our brains down for a while, and can act as a great stress reliever after a long day or week. It can also help foster new relationships IRL, since watching the same show as a friend can serve as a great discussion topic. Think about it: "Game of Thrones" fans can spend hours debating different fan theories. How many times have you called your mom solely to discuss last night's episode of "This Is Us"?
To prevent your watching from getting too out of hand (like, skipping work to finish a season out of hand), it's a good idea to set a time or episode limit for yourself. Or start a new show when you have somewhere to be later so you're forced to turn it off. Or, you know, just become one with your couch. We support you either way.