Binge-watching addiction as an emotion regulation way of coping loneliness

Xiaofan Yue and Xin Cui

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: This study advances understanding of problematic media use by differentiating addictive from non-addictive binge-watching in relation to loneliness—an aspect often overlooked in prior research. It contributes to the field in three key ways: first, by empirically distinguishing problematic from non-problematic binge-watching; second, by demonstrating that loneliness significantly predicts binge-watching addiction but not non-problematic viewing; and third, by identifying escapism and emotional enhancement as dual emotion regulation pathways mediating this relationship, thereby extending existing single-motive frameworks. Using a sample of 551 participants, the study employed correlation and regression analyses to investigate these associations. Binge-watching addiction was assessed using the Problematic Series Watching Scale, and binge-watching motives were measured using the Watching TV Series Motives Questionnaire. Results revealed that loneliness was positively related to binge-watching addiction (β = 0.325, p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0329853

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0329853

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