It may be a modern day guilty pleasure, but the first study of its kind suggests binge-watching TV shows makes them less enjoyable and more forgettable.
The University of Melbourne study found that despite having excellent short-term memory of the program, binge-watchers were worse at recalling the information in the long term, compared with those who staggered their viewing.
Lead author Jared Horvath said he was surprised binge-watchers did not enjoy the program as much as others, and found their long-term memory of information comparable to students who crammed before exams.
"They had a really sharp forgetting curve," Dr Horvath told AAP on Thursday.
He says the definition of binge-watching is changing, and could be anywhere from three to five hours plus of straight viewing.
The study involved 51 students who watched one season of British spy thriller The Game at varied schedules.
Participants either watched the six-episode series daily or binge-watched all six hours in one sitting.
After the final episode they were questioned about the show to see how well they retained information.
They took the first test 24 hours after they finished watching then another seven days later and a final quiz 140 days later.
The binge-watchers performed best in the initial test but failed to repeat this standard in the follow up tests.
"I almost thought binge-watching would be better for memory," Dr Horvath said.
He was inspired to do undertake the study after noticing fewer university students attended lectures if they were recorded and published online, and would binge-watch them before exams.
While filming lectures helps make them more accessible for students, Dr Horvath says it unintentionally sends a message: "Don't worry about showing up."
"We shot ourselves in the foot," he said.
He hopes to use the results from the TV study to create effective online education videos, and is conducting further research into the interplay of enjoyment, learning and memory.
Despite the results, Dr Horvath says he still succumbs to binge-watching as producers have perfected cliffhanger endings.
"It plays on curiosity, knowing that there's something out there that you don't know but that you can know," he said.
"But nothing lives up to it - the excitement is the best thing."
