CinemaTherapy suggests that by watching movies consciously, we can: decrease stress hormones through laughter. identify, regulate and heal emotions through cathartic crying. explore our reactions to the characters and how they relate to those parts of ourselves that we like and dislike.
When we watch a story on the big screen, we automatically generate some investment in the characters. The way we absorb their depicted plights and decisions often invests us in an emotional cinematic reality, even if we are not directly experiencing the situations in question.
“Films show us different perspectives and lives different from our own. In this way, a movie's story gives us access to experiences and emotions that can help us feel better.” A good movie can also distract us from emotional pain or give us a place to put our unshed tears.
This release of emotions can have a cathartic effect and also make it easier for a person to become more comfortable in expressing their emotions. This can be invaluable during counseling as well as in “real life.”
Films have the ability to change our lives. With stories that open up other experiences to us, and characters who navigate the forces that we also face in our own lives, the right film at the right time can be transformative.
But why do these films make us happy? At the most basic level, of course, seeing a film's protagonist achieve happiness can trigger feelings of happiness in the viewer for the simple reason that humans are so wonderfully tuned to each other's feelings that even a one-dimensional image can trigger empathic connection.
Even those who often have trouble expressing their emotions might find themselves laughing or crying during a film. This release of emotions can have a cathartic effect and also make it easier for a person to become more comfortable in expressing their emotions.
We are brought into an empathetic mood. Some movies bring us into the community of the characters such that plot development resembles nothing so much as gossip. Time is transformed in the cinematic state; for us, it is an escape, a vacation, a portal out of the world and the uncontrollable nature of time.
What is depersonalization-derealization disorder? Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DDD) often shows up with other mental health conditions. It happens when you feel like you're watching your life from outside your body. It can feel like you're watching a movie or a dream.
Feel good movies are not intellectual, they are not provocative, they are not daring, but there is an authenticity to the escapism it provides. It reminds the audience that fun, lightheartedness, and enjoyment are not bad things.
When we watch a TV show or movie, we empathize with fictional characters as we would with another “real” person right in front of us. We experience psychological effects such as identification, self-other taking, and the proximity effect.
This can be described as a tripling down effect. The strengths that are portrayed in the film help the viewer to recognize such strengths inside themselves, so that they put the strengths to good use for their own lives, and so they feel better and more connected to people and the world.
This calming feeling of re-watching movies has been named 'experiential control' by researchers Cristel Russell and Sidney Levy in an article on Patient.info. They claim it provides emotional regulation; seeing as you know the ending already, you also know how it's going to make you feel.
The studies reveal the influence of films on people's beliefs and opinions, stereotypes and attitudes. Movies can have a significant impact on gender and ethnic stereotypes [21,22], change attitudes towards certain groups of people and cause newly formed opinions on various issues.
Films encourage us to take action. Our favourite characters, superheroes, teach us life lessons. They give us ideas and inspiration to do everything for the better instead of just sitting around, waiting for things to go their way.
If you have, you are not alone: you are likely experiencing narrative transportation, a phenomenon whereby audience members feel so involved in a storyline that it can influence their attitudes and behavior in reality, even after they have finish watching a film or reading a story.
Historical documents, eyewitnesses accounts, and archeological objects all claim a direct connection to events or situations that historians evaluate and interpret. Film, however, offers a unique ability to reflect and resemble historical figures and events.
Therapeutically, rewatching shows and movies helps heal previous emotional wounds, tapping into good memories to reconcile sadness or pain during hard times. Some may also feel nostalgic while watching old shows, remembering their past memories and experiences.
A defining trait of feel-good films is that the main plot line tends to deal with a major moment of drama. The mood of these movies is light overall, so even during those tense moments, there's still an element of hope to the story and the viewer feels that the characters are safe.
Social anxiety can make individuals prone to constantly worrying about being watched — but typically only when they're in public. However, for those, like me, who feel watched even when they're alone, the perpetual fear might be a result of formative childhood experiences.
When you're engaged in an activity you enjoy, your brain produces dopamine — a chemical that promotes feelings of pleasure, excitement and happiness. The release of dopamine helps us feel good, and it results in a "high" similar to that induced by drugs and other substances with addictive qualities.
Secondary research suggests that two unique elements of the cinema experience drove the findings: the focused activity and the shared social focus. These elements have proven long-term benefits on our overall brain function, memory, focus and productivity.
Entertainment and Pleasure. For some, it's simply a matter of entertainment and pleasure. Most people go to the movies to have a good time. They want to be transported to another world for two hours, to forget the stress of their job or other worries.
