We all love to sit on the couch and binge-watch our favorite shows. We might go ahead and say, we Netflix and chill. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University have discovered that binge-watching might just get you depressed. According to their study, the antidote against depression is a social connection.
These researchers went ahead and examined extensively more than 100 possible depression causing factors in adults. What did they discover? That even if you still have a very active social life cutting down on sedentary actives like day time napping and watching TV could be great for your mental health.
Depression is a major ailment and causes mental disability. The problem is that until now, researchers only focused on several risks and protective factors. According to the lead author of this research, Kramer Choi, PhD, their study provides a comprehensive map work as to what can be modified to impact depression risks. How did the researchers achieve this? They utilized Biobank’s data to get complete information on the high number of factors that could be possibly connected to depression risks. From here, the authors used Mendelian randomization statistical method and applied it to the highest probability depression, causing factor according to what was retrieved in the Biobank. The aim was to identify factors that could be related to a person’s casual relationship.
The factor that stood out was the number of times a person confided in others, had family visits. This is what was highlighted as a major protective effect of social connection and cohesion. On the other side, the research showed that watching TV could increase your susceptibility to depression. In the same lot, you have day time napping and taking multivitamins.
The research has shed light on what we can do, and hopefully, this will propel others to develop strategies that will further prevent depression. So now you know what to do to ensure that your mental health is in check. Get social with family and friends, and watch depress lose its weight over you.
