Nostalgia is one of the main reasons people tend to watch and rewatch their favourite pieces of content. This is especially true when we rewatch movies and shows we loved as a child. We feel all fuzzy inside—a sense of satisfaction during unpredictable times.
What does it mean when you watch the same movie over and over?
“Watching the same movie reaffirms that there is order in the world,” says Pamela Rutledge, Ph. D., a psychologist and director of the Media Psychology Research Center, a nonprofit research group based in Boston. “Our primitive brains are hardwired to keep us safe, so the unknown future can cause anxiety.
But it can also be overwhelming. That's why a dash of predictability can be so soothing. Returning to my favorite TV shows gives my restless mind the sense of comfort and familiarity it often needs. They're my escape from the wild world outside.
I did a straw poll on this topic and found that rewatching is most often due to a need for comfort that even non-rewatchers indulge in sometimes. There is something about knowing what you're getting – be it laugh-out-loud gags, a step back in time or some adrenaline – that has an addictive quality.
Why do people with anxiety watch the same movies over and over?
If you struggle with anxiety, you may find yourself watching the same TV shows over again. The enjoyment of this repetition comes from the mere-exposure effect, the decreased cognitive load, and the sense of control.
And why might rewatching a show we enjoy help us? “Rewatching shows allows us to dive into a social world that we already know and already feel connected to,” Gabriel says. “It is a fast way to feel connected, much like talking to an old friend makes one feel connected more quickly than a new person.”
If you are worried about possibly having OCD, talk to a professional. If you are just watching a movie again and again because you simply enjoy it, that is not OCD. You probably just really enjoy that movie or don't mind seeing it again.
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.
The term is a portmanteau of the words cinema and philia, one of the four ancient Greek words for love. A person with a passionate interest in cinema is called a cinephile (/ˈsɪnɪfaɪl/ SIH-nih-fyle), cinemaphile, filmophile, or, informally, a film buff (also movie buff).
However, strategies like choosing engaging, fast-paced movies, taking regular breaks, or watching in a distraction-free environment can help. Understanding and accommodating these ADHD-related needs is key to enhancing the movie-watching experience for individuals with ADHD.
Research has shown that in children with ADHD, the prefrontal cortex matures more slowly than typically developing kids. It is also slightly smaller in size. Similarly, the cerebellum, hippocampus, and amygdala are also thought to be smaller in volume in kids with ADHD.
People with ADHD thrive on adrenaline rushes. They may do their best work against a tight deadline. Many adults with ADHD thrive in high-pressure, fast-paced jobs, such as those in emergency services, healthcare, entertainment, and high tech.
Is it normal for my child to watch the same movie over and over?
The infant brain learns and consolidates information through repetition. Therefore, it is not unusual that children see the same movie over and over again. In the same way that they ask us to sing the same song or read the same books to them.
Why do I cry watching movies but not in real life?
It may be that movies offer you the perfect environment to express those kind of emotions. Maybe it's the intimacy that you have when you watch movies or it's the lack of predictability of what can happen, compared with everyday life you may explore every event through logic and control.
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.
This varies from person to person and is a result of the way we are born [nature] and our upbringing and conditionings [nurture]. Some of us require a small stimulus or a simple event to become happy or sad (as in the cases people cry or not cry when they watch movie).
The calming feeling of re-watching movies is 'experiential control', which provides 'emotional regulation'. To put it simply, because you know the ending already, you also know how it will make you feel.” Think of these movies as a time machine of sorts.
While both mental health conditions involve repetitive worrying, people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often engage in unwanted and repetitive behavior in response to their worry. People with anxiety, however, tend to overthink their worry, but don't act in specific responsive manners.
At first glance, autism and OCD appear to have little in common. Yet clinicians and researchers have found an overlap between the two. Studies indicate that up to 84 percent of autistic people have some form of anxiety; as much as 17 percent may specifically have OCD.
Most people who have rewatched TV say they get about as much enjoyment from rewatching a show as they did the first time they watched it. People who are frequent rewatchers are somewhat more likely than those who aren't to say they enjoy a show more upon multiple viewings.
Films can also create nostalgia if you have special memories attached to certain titles. Perhaps you watched them as a child and re-watching them as an adult helps you reminisce about times gone by. A recent study discovered that nostalgia can manifest itself physically as warmth and comfort.
