News release

From: PLOS

People with “binge-watching addiction” are more likely to be lonely

Addictive binge-watching behavior might stem from seeking escapism and emotional enhancement

While many people binge-watch their favorite shows, binge-watching addiction is associated with loneliness, according to a study published January 21, 2026in the open-access journal PLOS One by Xiaofan Yue and Xin Cui from Huangshan University in China.

COVID-19 drove many people indoors and onto the couch, driving concerns about mental health, especially as people were also isolated and distressed. Now, while many people have resumed daily activities, some people binge-watch to the point of addiction—experiencing obsession, increases in TV consumption, and negative impacts on daily life. To understand how binge-watching addiction might be related to loneliness, the authors of this study surveyed 551 adults who were big consumers of TV, watching TV series for at least 3.5 hours per day and seeing more than four episodes per week. They asked these participants questions to assess addictive behavior, loneliness and their motives for binge-watching.

Of the survey respondents, 334 (61%) met the criteria for binge-watching addiction. Among these respondents, increased loneliness was significantly correlated with higher levels of binge-watching addiction and loneliness, while those participants who did not meet the addiction criteria did not show the same association. The scientists therefore theorized that binge-watching addicts might have specific mindsets and motivations, distinct from participants who also watched a lot of TV but without any addiction.

When the scientists examined the motives for binge-watching addiction, they found an association between loneliness and both escapism and emotional enhancement motivations, suggesting that binge-watching addicts might be engaging both in the avoidance of negative situations as well as seeking to boost positive emotions. The authors therefore suggest that individuals experiencing higher levels of loneliness, seeking emotional fulfillment, or using binge-watching as an escape mechanism are more likely to exhibit binge-watching addiction.

This study could only show an association between addictive binge-watching and loneliness, with further research needed to determine if loneliness drives this behavior. Also, the researchers only examined TV series, and did not account for other problematic video streaming behaviors, for example via Youtube or Tiktok. Still, the findings suggest the possibility that some individuals might try to cope with social disconnection by increasing their media consumption to the point of binge-watching addiction.

The authors add: “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.”