Readers Digest Australia Sampler 2022

T he term binge-watch was a contender for the 2013 word of the year in the Ox- ford English Dictionary . Al- though it didn’t win (‘self- ie’ ultimately took the crown), this pointed to the rise of what was be- coming a popular activity of watch- ing multiple episodes of a TV show in a single sitting. Today, millions of us – including me – regularly consume our favourite series in this way. The proliferation of streaming services over recent years has made it easy to do. Unsurprising- ly, during COVID-19 lockdowns, re- search shows many of us spent more time binge-watching than usual. But can binge-watching become problematic or addictive? And if you can’t tear yourself away, what can you do? Problematic binge-watching isn’t defined by the number of episodes watched (although most researchers agree it’s at least two in a row), or a specific number of hours spent in front of the TV or computer screen. As with other addictive behaviours, more important is whether binge-watching is having a negative impact on other aspects of the person’s life. Over many years studying addic- tion, I’ve argued that all addictive behaviours comprise six core compo- nents. In relation to binge-watching, this would mean: • It is the most important thing in the person’s life (salience). PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES THE GENIUS SECTION Sharpen Your Mind Should You PRESS PAUSE? How to know if your binge-watching habits are a problem – and what to do about it BY Mark Griffiths FROM THE CONVERSATION 14 May 2022