How Streaming Affects Your Health

 Since the pandemic, many of us have been spending a lot of time in front of our television screens.

Research by Deloitte shows that Australians spent an average of seven hours a week or around 30 hours a month watching paid TV/movie streaming services in 2021.

This compares to 26 hours a month in 2019, a figure that has been increasing by five per cent year on year.

Media sites like YouTube, TikTok and Facebook have also made it possible to watch video content and entertainment for free, says social researcher and TEDx speaker Ashley Fell, of McCrindle.

“Gen Z spend 14 hours a week on free streaming platforms compared to Gen Y (nine hours), Gen X (6 hours) and Baby Boomers (4 hours),” she says. Yet 70 per cent of us agree we spend more time in front of screens than we would like, she adds.

On a physical level, our addiction to streaming means that more than half of us don’t meet physical activity guidelines, says Fell, who adds that limiting our screen time and how long we sit could have a positive impact on both our mental health and our quality of life.

How streaming may help you 

While research has shown that those who are obsessed with watching the news are more likely to suffer from stress and anxiety, as well as bad health, what about streaming entertainment?

According to functional medicine practitioner Shelley Cavezza, who has more than 20 years’ experience as a principal research scientist, some streaming can have positive effects.

“For example, watching a feelgood show or movie with friends increases levels of the happiness hormone serotonin,” she says.  

Down in the dumps? Try Queer Eye, Rescued by Ruby, or In the Heights.

Or maybe you’re a fan of apocalyptic or zombie movies or shows?

While we will get to the effect they have on your hormonal system soon, here’s a surprising benefit that has been shown to have occurred in the last couple of years.

A 2021 study found that watching apocalyptic or even zombie films during the COVID-19 pandemic actually helped us be better prepared and psychologically resilient toward the pandemic.

Apparently these scary films helped us to practice coping strategies for what was an unprecedented real world situation.

What you watch can have a profound effect on your nervous system and your state of well-being

And how it may do you harm

Unfortunately, scary movies are also likely to cause the release of cortisol and epinephrine (adrenalin), says Cavezza.

“Epinephrine increases your heart rate as well as your blood pressure and breathing rate,” she says.

“In some people it can also boost energy, or sharpen their senses while, in others, it can lead to increased feelings of anxiety and stress.”

Either way that means horror and thriller series or films are not a great choice before bedtime because they are likely to make it harder to sleep.

With films like Squid Game and Shining Girls top of the ratings, we may also want to consider the effect watching too much violence can have on our psyche.

Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology at the Macquarie University School of Psychological Sciences Wayne Warburton says that, while opinions differ, he believes that excessive exposure to violent media both desensitises us to violence and makes us feel less safe in the world.

“Everything we experience affects the way we think, feel and behave,” he says.

“For us to believe that media doesn’t affect us, we’d have to throw out everything we know about human psychology.”

Get a lot of exposure to violent media and you start to see world in a different way, suggests Assoc Prof Warburton.

“This ‘mean world syndrome’ has been shown in a study of high exposure to violent shows,” he says.

“The brain is plastic and it’s literally wiring up second by second.

“Consciously you may know something is virtual, but most parts of the brain don’t discriminate.”

Streaming choices

Deciding what to watch should be based on your emotional well-being as well as your personality, not just what’s trending, suggests psychotherapist Shirley Hughes.

“If you are prone to anxiety, it’s probably not a good idea to feed yourself a diet of thrillers and horror. Feelgood films may actually help improve your mood.”

Letting streaming get in the way of other activities, such as getting together with friends, engaging in a hobby, exercising or doing active relaxation is also a poor choice, says Hughes.

We need real connection, as well as ‘flow’, for good health.

Cavezza cautions that binge watching is likely to cause the release of dopamine, the hormone related to motivation and reward.

“Hence that strong urge to watch the next episode and the next episode. It basically becomes an addiction, similar to cocaine or alcohol.”

So, setting boundaries around streaming – only watching one, or two episodes at a time, for example – is a good way to achieve more balance in your life. that you’ve said hello to the world, it’s time to introduce yourself. Your first blog post is a chance to tell readers who you are with a short bio, as well as share what your blog is about and why you are blogging. You can include something personal or funny, or add a photo of yourself or your business. Give your readers an idea of what to expect in upcoming blog posts.

This article by Helen Hawkes originally appeared in Body & Soul