The Psychology of Binge Watching TV

by Barrie Gunter

This fascinating work provides an up-to-date examination of shifts in the nature and impact of TV and video watching that has largely been driven by non-linear TV and video services online.

The book reviews research evidence from around the world about the physical and behavioural shift of viewing away from linear and towards non-linear TV and video services. It studies the psychological factors that underpin and drive this shift, and the nature of binge-watching behaviour on people’s physical and psychological health and social relationships. Along the way, it differentiates between “binge-watching” and “heavy-viewing” and considers binge-watching as a distinctive form of TV/video use that has its own reasons of occurrence and impacts.

The Psychology of Binge TV Watching is aimed principally at students and academics interested in Psychology, Media, Mental Health, and other related disciplines. It will also interest any readers looking to understand more about the psychology behind binge watching and the potentially positive and negative effects upon audiences.

204 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2024

About the author

Barrie Gunter is Emeritus Professor in Media at the University of Leicester, UK. He was Head of the Department of Media and Communication at Leicester (2004-2012) and prior to that, founding Professor of Journalism at the University of Sheffield for 10 years. The early part of Barrie’s career was spent in the broadcasting industry in audience research. Barrie is a psychologist by training who has written and contributed to approximately 70 books and over 400 other publications and reports on media, marketing, business and psychology topics.