Binge-Watching and Psychological Well-Being: Media Use Between Lack of Control and Perceived Autonomy

By Viola C. Granow, Leonard Reinecke, Marc Ziegele. Communication Research Reports, 2018

113 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Binge-watching—the intensive, consecutive viewing of televised series—has become a prevalent usage pattern of entertainment media, which may influence users’ psychological well-being both positively and negatively: On the one hand, binge-watching could increase viewers’ enjoyment, recovery experiences, and vitality through an increase in perceived autonomy. On the other hand, binge-watching can trigger goal conflicts and feelings of guilt, which may reduce well-being. Drawing on an online survey (N = 499), the present study examines the tension between these two mechanisms and their effects on users’ well-being. The data largely support the hypotheses: Binge-watching is perceived as recreational as long as goal conflicts and feelings of guilt can be avoided. Well-being, on the other hand, is positively affected by binge-watching-induced increases in perceived autonomy. These results corroborate the central role of self-determination as a link between media reception, media enjoyment, and psychological well-being.

Subfields: Applied Psychology, Literature and Literary Theory, Sociology and Political Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/fec6da39dbd867c3af12550591e4bcc5e891b32c