Why Streaming is the New Therapy

Back in 1998, a small US company began a service to rent out DVDs of your choosing and have them sent to your home. It was all at your fingertips: fast, cheap, and very convenient. Today that small company is known as Netflix and has become one of many streaming companies that deliver DVDs and so much more.

Since 2010, this company has gone global and now can be found in Latin America and Canada. Other streaming companies have followed suit such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Crackle. With the touch of your smartphone, tablet, gaming console, and a small monthly fee, you can sit back on your couch and stream anything tailored to just you.

You can even opt for live TV and send your cable packing. You can subscribe to the multitudes of channels that are streaming exclusive content of your desired topic such as work-out channels, British entertainment, crime dramas, and even immerse yourself into the ever growing popular world of anime.

The World of Anime

Anime is a popular form of animated movies or television shows created for both adults and children. Many hail from their manga form or Japanese graphic novels. Shows such as Death Note, Sailor Moon, and Psycho Pass can be discovered on a variety of streaming networks. One such show is the well known franchise Dragon Ball Z created by Akira Toriyama in the 1980s. There are a few series of this Japanese anime such as Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragonball Super.

The shows follows the character Goku who starts off the DragonBall series as a child with the saiyan tail (which eventually gets cut off but grows back). However, he unknowingly grows up without the knowledge of being saiyan until later on. Within the series and graphic novels, there are discrepancies such as Goku being turned back into a child. Some other differences are found between the anime shows and the manga comics. One such difference is the topic of Goku and Super Saiyan Red (God) and Super Saiyan Blue. Goku and his enemy Vegeta both use these forms; God form seems to give a well balanced form of ki and stamina compared to Blue. Super Saiyan Blue doesn’t last long but brings enormous power (as told in the manga version). Streaming this long time series lets you dive deeper into the saga of Goku while benefiting your mind, too.

Binge-Watching for Your Brain

How would watching hours of television be good for you? For starters, when a new show comes to your favorite streaming channel, it is an opportunity to invite some friends over and throw a premiere party. Don’t want to share your nachos? Hop on the couch and get ready to escape into an imaginary world. Or if you enjoy learning new things, you can watch countless of documentaries about the earth or true crime.

The average American works about 38 hours a week. That may not seem a great amount of time, however that doesn’t count for what happens when you come home and spend hours of extra work if you are a teacher, a lawyer, or a parent. Streaming a new show or even an old one gives you the down time you may need to recharge. In fact when asked, 73 percent of people questioned by Netflix said they “felt good” after watching a favorite show.

Binge watching a favored show releases the chemical dopamine which makes you feel good when you do something you like. Whatever you love to watch, whether alone or with family and friends, streaming a favorite show is a good way to spend your down time. Who knows; maybe the next time you visit your doctor they may add “streaming” to your list of things to do for better health!