How Watching The Mindy Project May Help Prevent Weight Gain

Great news—your latest Netflix addiction may actually prevent you from polishing off an entire bag of potato chips. Watching TV you find interesting may help curb mindless snacking, according to a new study published in the online journal PLOS One.

For the study, researchers at Sweden's Uppsala University had 18 normal-weight women watch different types of TV programming: an "engaging" episode of a popular Swedish comedy series and a "boring" televised art lecture. As a control, they were also asked to read about insects (it's safe to assume that falls under the "boring" category). As part of each experiment, participants had access to two types of snacks: a high-calorie option (M&Ms) and a low-calorie one (grapes).

The result? The women consumed 52 percent more food while watching the "boring" program than when they watched the "engaging" show. And reading didn't help keep their hands out of the snack bowls, either—they also ate 35 percent more while reading about Swedish insects than while focusing on the engaging program.

"These results demonstrate that, in our cohort of healthy young women, it is not simply TV watching that stimulates concurrent eating, but rather the content of the TV (or related media)," researchers wrote in the study text. "In particular, boredom, or a lack of engagement, appears to be a significant contributor to the decision to consume under these contexts."

That said, while an exciting, edge-of-your-seat TV show appears to reduce the type of mindless snacking that leads to weight gain, it’s no excuse to trade your evening walk for a House of Cards marathon; after all, watching TV is still a sedentary activity, and a combination of exercise and moderation will always be your best bet for slimming down.

When you do curl up on the couch for your favorite show, arm yourself with healthy, pre-portioned snacks to avoid overeating. Try one of these 28 snacks under 100 calories or one of these 11 surprisingly healthy treats.

MORE: Can You Really Binge-Watch Netflix and Get a Workout at the Same Time? 

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