We live in the golden era of TV series: they have long ceased to be considered a low genre, the best filmmakers of the generation are working on their creation, and the format allows you to tell stories in detail and in detail, in a way that is not done in the cinema. However, if we get too carried away with viewing, we risk tearing ourselves away from the real world with its problems and joys. Blogger Eloise Stark is sure that those whose mental state leaves much to be desired are especially vulnerable.
I’m afraid to be alone with myself. Probably, for someone who has never suffered from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder or anxiety, it is difficult to understand this and imagine what things the brain can throw out. An inner voice whispers to me: “You are useless. You’re doing everything wrong.» «Did you turn off the stove? he asks at the most inopportune moment. «And you’re absolutely sure of that?» And so for several hours in a row in a circle.
Series have helped me drown out this annoying voice since my teenage years. I didn’t really watch them, but rather used them as a background while I was preparing my lessons, or making something, or writing — in a word, I did everything that was supposed to be a girl of my age. Now I am sure: this is one of the reasons that I did not notice my depression for years. I just didn’t hear my own negative thoughts. Even then, I felt an inner emptiness and the need to fill it with something. If only I could think about what’s going on…
There were and still are days when I drew or made something for 12 hours in a row, swallowing episode after episode of the series, and for the whole day not a single independent thought appeared in my head.
TV shows are like any other drug: while you are using them, your brain produces the pleasure hormone dopamine. “The body gets the signal, ‘What you’re doing is right, keep up the good work,’” explains clinical psychologist René Carr. — When you binge watch your favorite show, the brain produces dopamine non-stop, and the body experiences a high, almost like taking drugs. There is a kind of dependence on the series — in fact, of course, on dopamine. The same neural pathways are formed in the brain as in other types of addiction.”
The creators of the series use a lot of psychological tricks. It is especially difficult for people with mental disabilities to resist them.
People whose mental state is not entirely safe get addicted to TV shows in the same way they get addicted to drugs, alcohol or sex — with the only difference being that TV shows are much more accessible.
In order for us to stick to the screens for a long time, the creators of the series use a lot of psychological tricks. It is especially difficult for people with mental disabilities to resist them. Let’s start with how these shows are filmed and edited: one scene after another, the camera jumps from character to character. Quick editing makes the picture more interesting, it is almost impossible to break away from what is happening. This technique has long been used in advertising to grab our attention. It seems that if we look away, we will miss something interesting or important. In addition, «slicing» does not allow us to notice how time flies.
Another «hook» that we fall for is the plot. The series ends at the most interesting place, and we can’t wait to turn on the next one to find out what happens next. Producers know that the viewer is waiting for a happy ending, because he associates himself with the main character, which means that if the character is in trouble, the viewer will need to find out how he will get out of it.
Watching TV and series helps us drown out the pain and fill the inner emptiness. We get the impression that we are alive. For those who suffer from depression, this is especially important. But the thing is that while we are running from real problems, they accumulate and the situation worsens.
“Our brain encodes any experience: what really happened to us, and what we saw on the screen, read in a book or imagined, as real and sends it to the piggy bank of memories,” explains psychiatrist Gaiani DeSilva. — While watching the series in the brain, the same zones are activated as in the course of real events that happen to us. When we become attached to a character, their problems become ours, as well as their relationships. But in reality, all this time we continue to sit on the couch alone.
We fall into a vicious circle: TV provokes depression, and depression makes us watch TV.
The desire to “crawl into your shell”, cancel plans and step back from the world is one of the first alarming bells of an impending depression. Today, when TV shows have become a socially acceptable form of isolation, it’s especially easy to miss them.
While the dopamine surge can make you feel better and take your mind off your problems, in the long run, binge-watching is bad for your brain. We fall into a vicious circle: TV provokes depression, and depression makes us watch TV. Researchers from the University of Toledo found that those who binge watch TV shows experience more stress, anxiety and depression.
What is happening to us today is understandable: work to wear (often unloved) leaves less time for communication with loved ones and outdoor activities. Forces remain only for passive leisure (serials). Of course, each of those who suffer from depression has their own story, and yet it is impossible not to note the trajectory along which society moves. The “golden era” of small flickering screens is also an era of declining mental health. If we move from the general to the particular, to a specific person, then endless movie watching alienates us from others, prevents us from taking care of ourselves and doing what would help us become happy.
Sometimes I wonder how many ideas my head might have had if I had let my mind wander and get bored and fantasize. Maybe the key to healing was inside me all this time, but I never let myself use it. After all, when we try to “block” everything bad that is going on in our head with the help of television, we block the good too.
About the author: Eloise Stark is a journalist.