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If nothing brings you more joy than curling up on the couch and binging a new series, theres good news. While it may feel like the ultimate guilty pleasure, new research suggests binge-watching TV could actually benefit your brain. In the U.S., people stream an average of 21 hours of digital media each week. Platforms like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO make it easy to get pulled into a marathon, releasing entire seasons at once and ending episodes on irresistible cliffhangers. But if youre worried all that screen time is frying your brain, a new study from the University of Georgia suggests otherwise. Researchers found that when people watch or read stories in long, uninterrupted stretches, it can help them recover from daily stressors. That’s because binge-watchers often revisit stories afterward in their thoughts, engaging through daydreams, imagination, and fantasy. Researchers call this retrospective imaginative involvement. Binge reading showed similar, though slightly smaller, effects. People who have that habit of binge-watching shows often arent doing it passively but are actually actively thinking about it afterwards, said Joshua Baldwin, lead author of the study published in Acta Psychologica and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, in a statement. Theyre very much wanting to engage with stories, even when theyre not around to watch shows. By dwelling on those satisfying story elements, it offers a way to cope with daily stressors and increase well-being. Baldwin explained that humans are wired for stories. Narratives, he said, serve an important role in meeting our needs, whether its the drive to connect with others, feel independent and capable, or find a sense of comfort and security. Stories have characters that fulfill these roles, and we can satisfy those needs through them, he said. No wonder 73% of people surveyed by Netflix reported having positive feelings after a binge. The research suggests that tearing through a book in one sitting or staying up until 2 a.m. to finish a season could be more rewarding than stretching it out with a chapter or an episode a night. Of course, its not all upside. Theres a lot of debate over whether or not media is a good or bad thing, but its always nuanced argument, said Baldwin. Binge-watching has been linked to poorer sleep, and the post-binge-watching blues after finishing a great series can leave some viewers deflated It always depends on the content itself, why people are watching it, the psychological background of the individual and the context, he added. Still, the next time Netflix asks if youre still watching five hours in, dont feel guilty for clicking yes.
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E-Commerce
After a lifetime of spurning would-be business suitors, the late Italian designer Giorgio Armani instructed his heirs to sell an initial 15% minority stake in his vast fashion empire, with priority to the French conglomerate LVMH, the eyewear giant Essilor-Luxottica or the cosmetics company L’Oreal.Armani gave control of 40% of his business empire to his longtime collaborator and head of menswear Leo Dell’Orco, and another 15% each to niece Silvana Armani, the head of womenswear, and nephew Andrea Camerana, according to his business will posted online Friday by the Italian daily La Repubblica.The Armani Foundation, which he established in 2016 as a succession vehicle, will control the remaining 30%.Armani, one of the most recognizable names and faces in Italian fashion, died on Sept. 4 at the age of 91. Two wills, one for his business empire and the other for his private property, were deposited with Italian tax authorities on Thursday, and widely reported by Italian media on Friday.The executive committee of Giorgio Armani said in a statement that the documents confirms “Mr. Armani’s intention to safeguard strategic continuity, corporate cohesion and financial stability for long-term development.”That includes Armani’s wishes for a short- and medium-term path for the brand mission and structure, which will be carried out by Dell’Orco and members of the family, the committee underlined.The foundation’s first priority is to name a chief executive officer, the committee underlined, and it will never hold less than 30% of share, making it “a permanent guarantor of compliance with the founding principals.” The committee said it would support Armani’s wishes to secure “the best possible future for the company and the brand.”Armani remained a rarity in Italian fashion, retaining tight control of his fashion empire in the face of advances from LVMH and Gucci, now part of the Kering group, and from Kering itself, as well as the Fiat-founding Agnelli family heirs.But in his business will, he specified the Armani Foundation should sell a 15% stake not before one year and within 18 months of his death, with preference to LVMH, Essilor-Luxottica or L’Oreal or to a fashion group “of similar standing.”Within three to five years, Armani also stipulated that the same buyer should increase its stake to 30% and 54.9%, or that a similar share be publicly floated through an initial public offering, either in Italy or a similar market.Both wills were rewritten by Armani last spring, partly by hand on the back of a sepia-colored envelope.His niece Roberta, who has long served as a liaison between Armani and his red-carpet clients, and his sister Rosanna, each were allotted a 15% non-voting share in the company.Armani maintained a 2.5% stake in the French-Italian eyewear giant Essilor-Luxottica, worth 2.5 billion euros ($2.93 billion), of which 40% goes to Dell’Orco and and most of the rest to family members just a part of the distribution of his vast personal fortune which included homes in Milan, New York, the Sicilian island of Pantelleria and St. Tropez on the French Riviera.The final Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani collections designed by Armani will be presented later this month during Milan Fashion Week, which opens on Sept. 23. A special exhibition at the Pinacoteca di Brera will mark the 50th anniversary of the signature fashion house.In his will, Armani specified that future collections should be guided by “essential, modern, elegant and understated design with attention to detail and wearability.” Colleen Barry, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
Nostalgia is one of the internets favorite pastimes. The New York Times recently reported on a new trend built around that feeling: social media accounts posting AI-generated scenes that look as though they were plucked straight from the ’80s, ’90s, and early aughts. POV: Its summer in 2000 and life felt different, one such post is captioned. A young woman looks into the camera: Long days at the water park, no phones, just fun that never seemed to end. Next, a teenager holds a marshmallow over a campfire. No group chats, no DMs, just stories around the fire until morning, he says. @the.nostalgia.cat Summer 2000 #summer2000s #2000s #2000sthrowback #2000snostalgia #nostalgia #early2000s aquatic ambience – Scizzie Idyllic. Of course, none of those people or scenes are real. But that hasnt stopped viewers from aching for a past that feels simpler. Someone please build a time machine so we can go back in time and enjoy our childhood again, one commenter wrote. Another: I miss this so bad. And another: Technology killed everything. The popularity of this nostalgia-bait reflects a wider mood. More than 60% of Americans report feeling nostalgic right now, per CivicScience data. And for many, nostalgia is actually a sort of coping mechanism: According to a May survey from Human Flourishing Lab, 63% of people reportedly turn to nostalgia when stressed or overwhelmed by modern life, and a similar share lean on it when feeling anxious about the future. In 2025, plenty of people are feeling both. That helps explain why AI clips can be so persuasive. You know the 80s miss you right? one AI creation says. Let me guess, no one even talks face to face anymore. Here, were out till the streetlights come on. You should stay. The world feels real here. A message from the 80s #maximalnostalgia pic.twitter.com/B9oaRQjmzg— Maximal Nostalgia (@MaximalNSTLGA) September 2, 2025 A viral Instagram account, Purest Nostalgia, which has more than 794,000 followers, offers a life before social media through retro televisions, softly lit bowling alleys, and sun-soaked malls. The irony that these are social media posts, created with AI, is beside the point. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Purest Nostalgia (@purestnostalgia) What a beautiful life, one commenter wrote.
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E-Commerce
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