Don't feel bad for bingeing on all of Orange Is the New Black in one sitting. You're helping the rest of the public not get sick, according to new research. A study published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases found that staying at home and watching TV can help curb the spread of diseases like the flu. It's called "social distancing," and researchers say it's a behavioral response that, like washing your hands, can have a big impact on keeping a population healthy. Researchers from the University of California, Arizona State, Georgia State, and Yale studied the 2009 outbreak of swine flu in Mexico to figure out why it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It turns out that Mexican officials implemented "social distancing," closing schools and canceling public events and encouraging people to stay home. The researchers used TV ratings data to figure out how often people were cooped up, and found that when officials encouraged citizens to stay home, they listened – and turned on the tube. In the first week, TV ratings were 20% higher than average. Without the "social distancing," the researchers say, flu cases could have quadrupled in five weeks. But instead, they stabilized because people weren't being exposed to sick people. So during flu season, kick back and fire up Netflix, for the good of society. Plus, it's cold out, and who wants to venture outdoors anyway?