You knew this had to happen.

Too much House of Cards can be hazardous to your health.

A new study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin concluded that viewers who binge watch TV shows one right after the other in one sitting may be doing so to deal with feelings of depression and loneliness.

All of a sudden our harmless addiction gets even worse.

The 300 people 18-29 in the study also correlated binge watching in one marathon session to fatigue, obesity and lack of self-control.

The obvious response I usually hear is:  “I don’t have the time to binge watch” yet bingeing is on the increase across all demographics not just 18-29 year olds.  They must be watching all these shows at some point?  Maybe weekends?  Are we in denial?

It is easier in a digital world to become addicted to being connected – to accessing what we want when we want it.   But there are downsides.

Observe couples and families dining out and distracted all the way through dinner.

Attend a sports event and ask yourself the question, “Did these people actually pay for that expensive ticket to be texting all during the game?”

The answer is simpler than we might think – and it is the same answer that applied to all obsessions before the digital age.

Balance.

Exercise and rest (then binge watch a few shows).

Eat well and be happy.

Encourage rich personal relationships one on one.

And my favorite — sometimes just give up control. (I dare you to try this – you’ll write back with some amazing stories).

Let someone else choose how you spend a few hours together.

Let others pick the subject they want to talk about and stick to it.

The new rule:  Let go as often as you obsess.

Now you’re ready for House of Cards when it returns February 27^th as part of a balanced daily diet of common sense.

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