Binge-Watching Is For Sad, Lonely People: Science

New research suggests that people who binge-watch tons of TV shows are probably lonely. Get a life, you sad hermit.

And by you, I mean me :/. A recent University of Texas study concludes that you might also lack a bit of self control if you’re able to sit through 13 straight episodes of House of Cards without the desire to put on pants or speak to humans. Is there something wrong with that?

The answer is, like every study ever done: Maybe. The test subjects in this case were a group of TV viewers ranging from age 18 to 29. Besides their binge-watching habits, the survey also asked questions on “how often they had feelings of loneliness, depression and self-regulation deficiency,” to see if there’s a correlation.

According to Science of Us:

They found that the more lonely and depressed the study participants were, the more likely they were to binge-watch TV, using this activity to move away from negative feelings. The findings also showed that those who lacked the ability to control themselves were more likely to binge-watch.

Again, I say: Maybe. But one of the researchers, Yoon Hi Sung, says since there haven’t been many studies on binge-watching, these results mean something:

“Even though some people argue that binge-watching is a harmless addiction, findings from our study suggest that binge-watching should no longer be viewed this way. Physical fatigue and problems such as obesity and other health problems are related to binge-watching and they are a cause for concern. When binge-watching becomes rampant, viewers may start to neglect their work and their relationships with others.”