Binge-Watching Is Our New Normal The practice of mainlining shows is becoming increasingly acceptable, although it's still an activity that incites complicated emotions, a new study suggests.

By Laura Entis

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Hail to the sweet, sweet release of the television binge, whereupon the cares and the worries of the day melt away as you consume episode after episode of your favorite show.

The fact that binge watching has become a common practice isn't new, but a recent survey of TiVo users suggests that the trend is continuing to gain steam while shedding its associations of shame. Out of the survey's 12,448 participants, only 30 percent said they saw the activity in a "negative" light, a notable drop from the 53 percent who responded the same way in 2013.

That may be because binge watching has become a national pastime. Everyone seems to be doing it. Ninety-two percent of survey respondents said they have engaged in some form of binge-viewing behavior, which the survey defines as watching three or more episodes of the same show in one day or watching one or more entire seasons over multiple days or weeks. (While TiVo users – who are able to record live shows –may be more likely to partake than the average American, a 2013 survey by Netflix found that 61 percent of respondents who watch TV shows online were regular binge watchers.)

Related: Will Podcasts Like 'Serial' Be the Binge-Worthy Successors to TV?

Like most excesses, however, the practice is at once delectable and unpredictable, able to morph – in a flash -- from pure enjoyment into cloying guilt, perhaps the byproduct of all those hours spent consuming storylines about fictitious lives instead of living one's own.

Out of TiVo respondents, only 16 percent viewed binge-watching in a "positive" light (up from 11 percent in 2013), and respondents coughed up to forgoing important activities such as sleep (31 percent) and in extreme cases, all other weekend activities (37 percent).

In spite of the fact that less than a third of respondents viewed binge-watching negatively, 52 percent said they felt sad after binging on a series.

It's a statistic that directly relates to another recent study, this one from the University of Texas at Austin, which found that depressed and lonely people are more likely to regularly binge-watch than their emotionally healthy counterparts.

While that study didn't fully tease apart why this relationship exists (are lonely, depressed people attracted to mainlining TV content, or do they become that way after binge-watching?) the latest TiVo study contains this potentially illuminating nugget: Approximately half of respondents who said they binge-watched a show or a series reported that they did so alone.

Related: Amazon, Netflix Crash the Golden Globes Party

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

'I Was Called Crazy': This 27-Year-Old's Side Hustle Hit $30,000 a Month in Under a Year — Now It's Worth Millions

Changing regulations forced Angel Rodriguez's jet ski rental company to shut down, and the young entrepreneur had to figure out his next move — fast.

Side Hustle

This 30-Year-Old's $6,000-a-Month Side Hustle Started Making Money 'Immediately' — But He's Not Quitting His Day Job

Derrick Mathy works in orthopedic surgical device sales and is on a mission to bring people together in real life.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'Unprecedented in Our 53-Year History': Southwest Airlines Announces Its First Mass Layoffs Ever

The airline is eliminating 15% of its corporate workforce, including many in senior leadership positions.

Business News

Elon Musk's xAI Claims Its New Grok 3 AI Is Better Than ChatGPT and DeepSeek: 'Seeing the Beginnings of Creativity'

xAI debuted the new AI on Monday, claiming it has 10 times the computational power of Grok 2.

Growing a Business

Entrepreneurs Should Invest in Service, Not Just Sales — Here's How to Build a Customer-First Business

A customer-first business strategy that prioritizes exceptional service, empowers employees and leverages feedback can transform satisfied customers into loyal advocates, driving sustainable, long-term growth.