Finding Enjoyment From Watching The Same Show Over and Over and Over Again

Can you relate to this? You tell yourself you are going to watch a new show, explore the countless possibilities that the internet has to offer only to scroll and scroll and end up watching the same show or movie for the billionth time?

Well, researchers at the University of Chicago had the same thought. So they decided to take a deeper dive into this phenomenon and found that there are actually quite a few reasons as to why we watch the same shows again and again. The biggest reason is we like them. By watching the same content makes it easier for our brains to process what’s going on. And if we watch it enough times, eventually it will take almost no mental effort for us to enjoy them. This applies to more than just movies, the research looks at why we go to the same places, enjoy the same foods, and listen to the same songs on repeat. Learn more about their findings here, (https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Enjoy-It-Again%3A-Repeat-Experiences-Are-Less-Than-O%E2%80%99Brien/9b55a0085a0c4fb0b51349de55ea5aeaf543e987) or read about it in Chanel Vargas’ article “The Science Behind Why You Love Watching the Same Shows Over and Over Again.” (https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Reasons-Keep-Watching-Same-Shows-45957114)

Another reason is nostalgia and sentimentality. We often remember what was happening in our own lives the first time we watch them allowing us to reflect on how things have changed and how much we have grown over time.

According to Neel Burton, psychologist and author of the book (https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Hell-Psychology-Neel-Burton/dp/0992912725) Heaven and Hell: The Psychology of Emotions “Nostalgia can lend us much-needed context, perspective, and direction, reminding and reassuring us that our life is not as banal as it may seem. It also tells us that there have been – and will once again be – meaningful moments and experiences.”

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