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It's safe to say that we've all been guilty of following up a quick viewing of a TV show, only to let our impulse-along with Netflix's genius way of coercing us into clicking on the next episode- get the best of us.

Researchers Yoon Hi Sung, Eun Yeon Kang, and Wei-Na Lee of the University of Texas at Austin, presented their findings that "the more lonely and depressed you are, the more likely you are to binge-watch."

Accordingly to researchers, binge-watching can be classified as viewing more than one, and up to six episodes of the same show continuously.

It was found that "these who lacked the ability to control themselves were more likely to binge-watch." Furthermore, these viewers "were unable to stop clicking "Next" even when they were aware that they had other tasks to complete."

With Netflix being a fairly new service by most business standards, it is evident that very little empirical research has been carried out. One could simply write binge-watching off as a harmless addiction, but Sung further noted that "findings from our study suggest that binge-watching should no longer be viewed this way." She further suggested that if binge-watching was to become out of control, it could affect their work and even relationships viewers might have with others. She concluded that even though individuals may know that they should not binge-watch, they might "still have difficulty resisting the desire to watch episodes continuously.

It is safe to say that despite binge-watching being a relatively new phenomenon, it might be a habit driven by similar impulses as addictions, much like with drugs and alcohol. The researchers suggest that their study is "a step toward exploring binge-watching as an important media and social phenomenon."

The findings will be presented at the 65th Annual International Communication Association Conference.