Home Projectionist

To sit or not to sit, that is the question.

It seems there is a new addiction:  Binge Watching.    It’s been brought about by a convergence of video streaming technology, peer-to-peer  influence,  and compelling narratives found in shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men.”  According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, our newly evolved propsensity for devouring shows in one sitting has huge implications for the entire industry — from the writers to the producers to the distributors — and for our well being.

According to psychiatrist Norman Doidge, author of “The Brain That Changes Itself,” noted in the same article, “We get into something akin to a trance with great storytelling.”  We’ve probably all had the experience:  The longer we are steeped in story, the more it becomes real.  The more we want to know what happens next.

But what makes our brain happy when we’re watching something on the screen doesn’t necessarily do much for our life span.

A report recently issued by BMJ Open, an online medical research journal, indicates that our life expectancies can be cut by years if we sit down for more than three hours a day.

I’m thinking if I sit down in the morning to drink some coffee, sit down for lunch and dinner, and for just an hour or two at the computer — let alone trying to get in a movie or two — I’m really headed toward an early demise.

What does the future hold for our living rooms and home theaters? Will treadmills one day be required?  I think that might make our brains sad.

Gloria Bowman is a writer, storyteller, blogger, movie lover, freelance editor,
and author of the novel, Human Slices.
Access her blog at www.gloriabowman.com; on Twitter @GloriaBow