For many of us, settling in for a night of streaming has become a familiar comfort. It may mean one episode turning into three, or an entire season watched over a weekend. But when does binge-watching cross the line from pleasure into something more troubling?

A new study suggests that for some people excessive binge-watching may be closely tied to loneliness and used as a way to manage difficult emotions.

The study examined what the authors describe as “binge-watching addiction,” a pattern marked by obsession with television series, escalating viewing time and negative effects on daily life. While binge-watching itself has become common, the study draws an important distinction between heavy viewing and behavior that resembles addiction.

People who binge-watch addictively may have distinct emotional motivations that set them apart from non-addicted heavy viewers. Two stood out: escapism and emotional enhancement.

Researchers surveyed 551 adults who were already high consumers of television content. To be included, participants had to watch TV series for at least 3.5 hours per day and view more than four episodes per week. People in the study completed detailed questionnaires measuring binge-watching addiction, levels of loneliness and their motivations for watching, such as escapism or emotional enhancement.

Of those surveyed, 334 participants — about 61 percent — met the criteria for binge-watching addiction. Among this group, higher levels of loneliness were significantly associated with more severe addictive binge-watching behaviors. In contrast, participants who watched a lot of television, but did not meet addiction criteria did not show the same link between loneliness and viewing habits.

This difference, the authors — Xiafan Yue and Xin Cui, both of Huangshan University in China — suggest, points to something more than simple screen time.

According to the study, people who binge-watch addictively may have distinct emotional motivations that set them apart from non-addicted heavy viewers. When the researchers looked more closely at these motivations, two stood out: escapism and emotional enhancement.

Escapism reflects a desire to avoid feelings or stressful situations, while emotional enhancement involves using television to generate positive emotions. The findings suggest that lonely individuals may binge-watch not only to escape unpleasant emotions but to feel better, at least temporarily.

“These dual motivations help explain why loneliness is so strongly linked to addictive binge-watching,” Xiaofan Yue, lead author of the study and a researcher at Huangshan University, said in a press release. “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.”

The backdrop for the research is the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed millions of people into isolation and dramatically increased screen time. Although many social restrictions have lifted, the authors note that the habits formed during prolonged isolation may persist, especially for people who continue to feel socially disconnected.

It is possible that addictive binge-watching worsens loneliness, or that loneliness drives the behavior, or that both reinforce each other.

The study does not prove that loneliness causes binge-watching addiction. Because the research was based on a survey conducted at a single point in time, it can only show an association. It is possible that addictive binge-watching worsens loneliness, that loneliness drives the behavior, or that both reinforce each other.

There are other limitations as well. The researchers focused exclusively on television series and did not examine other forms of potentially problematic streaming, such as social media videos on platforms like YouTube or TikTok. In addition, all data were self-reported, which can introduce bias.

Still, the findings raise important questions about how people cope with loneliness in a digital age. For some individuals, increasing media consumption may offer short-term emotional relief while quietly deepening social isolation.

As streaming platforms continue to shape how we relax, connect and escape, this research offers a timely reminder: how we watch may matter just as much as what we watch. Sometimes what we're really seeking isn't the next episode, but connection itself.

The study is published in PLOS One.