> (which leads to less 'binge-ing')

Disagree in my personal case; I binge on novel series just as hard - and often harder - as I do on TV series.

My dad actually refuses to read anything good anymore because he doesn't think he has the self control to avoid binging on series. For most people though, they read slowly enough that instead of watching 15 episodes of a show in a row they work through one book, which feels like a slower pace.

There is a difference in the level of "fulfillment", the degree of satisfaction that one can only earn from active engagement. Binge-ing on Netflix series is easier, more passive, to the extent where it has to poke you after 3 episodes to make sure you're still conscious.

I wouldn't call reading fiction "active engagement". The only activity in that is turning pages and occasionally changing the way you sit.

(Or maybe it's just me. Either I don't know how to read books properly, or have all the necessary activities running as background processes in my head, not requiring conscious control.)

Personal anecdote: Someone in my high school class nearly failed a course after she picked up a particularly engaging series.

It was interesting to hear her talk about how her parents punished her by prohibiting her from reading for the month.

Wow that's pretty much me. During high school I was always forbidden spending any allowance for books, so I would do it secretly. Since I'm in eastern europe and books are expensive I very quickly turned to english editions, preferably paperback and as my interest in sci-fi and fantasy grew I was usually choosing the thickest bricks available in my local bookstore.

Getting a Kindle for my 18 birthday from my friends was a total revelation since at this point I was reading completely in english and all of a sudden got access to pretty much every book ever.