Scientists argue that returning again and again to your favorite pastimes is not only understandable, but also useful.
On repeat: why we watch movies and TV shows
The question of why people repeat certain actions over and over again has bothered philosophers, anthropologists, economists, and psychologists for centuries.
Søren Kierkegaard wrote:
Repetition and remembering are the same movement, only in opposite directions. Remembering turns a person back, forces him to repeat what happened in the opposite order. Genuine repetition, on the other hand, makes a person, remembering, anticipate what will happen.
We turn to repetition out of habit, addiction, as a ritual, or to enter the status quo. Habits like running in the morning usually work automatically and are regular in and of themselves. We don't even have to think about doing what we are used to - that's the beauty of it.
Bad habits such as smoking are difficult for us to control and lead to physical dependence. This is addiction.
In addition, there are rituals. For example, when we celebrate New Years or put on "happy" socks before an exam. Unlike habits, we choose rituals ourselves and are able to control them.
When researchers Cristel Antonia Russel and Sidney Levy surveyed those who reread a book, revisit a movie, or regularly visit their favorite web site, their results did not fit into any of the above categories.
Instead, scientists have found that people seek familiar entertainment for specific reasons, such as to regain lost sensations and emotions, or to appreciate the rapid passage of time.
The most obvious reason
The simplest reason people watch the same movie is because … well, they really like this movie. Familiar footage requires less energy and mental effort to process the incoming information.
When it is easy for us to think about something, we automatically regard it as good and enjoyable.
If this sounds too unscientific to you, here is the official explanation from the researchers behind the problem.
Russell and Levy point out that this is called reconstructive consumption. This is the term scientists use to describe the behavior of the participants in the experiment, over and over again revising Friends or The Matrix. These people wanted to remind themselves of what was going on in the plot, and also happily noticed new details that could only be seen during the revision of the series or film.
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It seems that if you look at something over and over again, sooner or later it will lose its original appeal. But psychologists say that repetition leads to attachment. This is called the effect of influence, and scientists are sure: we begin to love some things also because we often return to them.
Perhaps you like the new song not only because it is melodic and groovy, but also because it has been played on radio stations for the thirtieth time in a day.
Nostalgia
In the same way that we enjoy returning to familiar films and TV shows just because we know their plot well, we can also enjoy reminiscing about the past simply because it already happened once.
Clay Routledge, a psychologist at the University of North Dakota, is researching the phenomenon of nostalgia. He claims that there are two "strains" of this cultural phenomenon. The first is historical: nostalgia as a general feeling of longing for the past. The second is autobiographical: nostalgia as an individual's longing for his own past.
Sometimes we watch an old movie in order to feel again the feeling of tenderness for what has already happened. Sometimes we are even more selfish. One of Rutledge's studies confirms that people often listen to music from the past because at that time they "felt loved" and "knew what they were living for."
We like to return to our own pop culture experience in order to remember the past and feel good and calm again.
Modern scientists call this regressive re-consumption. We use entertainment as a time machine to bring fading memories back to life.
Therapeutic reason
One of the stories in Russell and Levy's study is very impressive.
A participant in the experiment named Nelson told scientists that he traveled to Florence and Siena decades ago. Then he went on a trip with his wife and two children. 40 years later, Nelson's wife and son left this world.
The man planned another trip to Italy and worked through every detail of his trip. He stayed near the same landmarks and visited the same cafes, hotels and restaurants. By his own admission, it was akin to a pilgrimage, a sentimental voyage. Nelson said that this trip helped him come to terms with his life again.
The use of nostalgia as a kind of therapy is not uncommon. This may be the best solution.
Research suggests that nostalgia brings a physical feeling of comfort and warmth.
One of the nicest things about old films is that they can't surprise us. We know how they will end and we know how we will feel after the end credits. This makes re-consumption something of a method of regulating the emotional state.
New books, movies and TV shows can be thrilling, but they can also upset and disappoint us. Old cinema will not betray: we get older, but it remains the same. Thus, we get an effective tool for stabilizing our emotional background and get exactly what we expect. And no surprises.
Existential Cause
Do you know this feeling when you find a song that you have not heard for several years, and from the very first notes it reveals a kaleidoscope of memories before you?
The dynamic connections between the past, present and future of the individual, which emerged after the re-consumption session, give an existential sense of self.
Interaction with a familiar object, even a one-time one, allows you to re-experience the experience, to realize the choice made once, to feel pleasure and pleasure again.
This is no longer nostalgia or therapy. This is a kind of palimpsest, when a new point of view is superimposed on old memories and sensations.
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