Will Netflix Make You Smarter?

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Harry Kahn

Freshman Jack Chase taking in his daily dose of Neflix during breakfast

It’s the night before the biggest exam of the year.

Your choices are to either study the material until late at night and pray that the information sinks in before the morning, or to grab the nearest internet-connected IPod or computer and watch hours of your favorite TV series until your brain goes numb.   While the first option may seem like the better choice,  some experts will tell you otherwise.

Recent studies performed at Harvard University suggest that staying up until all hours of the night binge-watching TV series may indeed be beneficial to teenage brain development. The scientists who have observed teenagers binge watching the popular series Adventure Time have proven that teenage viewers have noticeably strengthened neural pathways and even showed signs of increased IQ and emotional intelligence.  The test group that did not watch Netflix and simply studied and went to bed with a good book had significantly less developed frontal lobes.

“The average healthy teenager should be getting at least three to four hours of Netflix time between the hours of 11pm and 4am every night,” said renowned Harvard neuroscientist Milton Schwartz, who pioneered the groundbreaking study. “At minimum, kids should be watching at least three back to back episodes of their favorite show per evening for maximum brain development. “

Schwartz urges parents of teenagers to model good Netflix watching behavior as a positive example for their kids. The study also showed that middle aged subjects who binge watched Homeland and Downton Abbey well into the night were not only able forge new neuropathways,  but they appeared to reverse signs of early dementia.

Always game to jump on new learning trends, the AHS administration has decided to recognize this new breakthrough by adding a Netflix workshop to the Freshman Seminar curriculum.  “We want AHS students to be prepared for the 21st century,” said principal Kim Martin, “That means math class everyday and Netflix all night long.”