Good Will Hunting, The Big Lebowski, Into the Wild, Jurassic Park, the Star Wars original trilogy, Indiana Jones, Midnight in Paris, Lost in Translation, Notting Hill… These are just a few of the films I’ve watched countless times. Films that bring comfort and peace of mind. Films from my childhood and films that helped me through hard times.
I’m not ashamed to admit that the gentle music (stream “She” performed by Elvis Costello) and the subtle, naturalistic tonalities in the dialogue between Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts in the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill has a calming effect on me. I’ve grown familiar with the rhythm of the film. My mind put at ease as the familiar scenes play on and I drift off to sleep. When I’m not reading a book in bed or falling straight to sleep after a long day, it’s films like Notting Hill that put my mind to rest.
So what is it about repeat exposure to film, TV, music, and other artforms that is so calming?
There are several theories that attempt to explain why familiar content can have such a calming effect on us, and a growing body of evidence points to long-studied behavioral findings such as the mere-exposure effect that explain why we’re so attached to familiar media. Below I’ve listed explanations and linked to the empirical research that cover a few of these theories.
Mere-exposure effect
The APA defines the mere-exposure effect as the finding that individuals show an increased preference (or liking) for a stimulus as a consequence of repeated exposure to that stimulus. This could be conveyed through advertising in which consumers may develop a preference for a brand or product simply because they have been exposed to its advertisements multiple times. In art, as individuals may develop a preference for certain styles of art or specific artists simply by being exposed to their work multiple times. In faces, with research showing that people tend to find faces more attractive if they have been exposed to them repeatedly (Zebrowitz et al., 2008). And even in food, where people may develop a liking for certain foods or flavors after repeated exposure to them, even if they initially found the taste unfamiliar or unappealing.
Control
Research suggests that familiar art can instill a sense of control and predictability, which can reduce feelings of uncertainty and stress. Anyone who has studied anxiety is aware of its relationship with feelings of uncertainty in the present and future. Feeling a sense of control is linked to lower levels of anxiety and greater psychological well-being (Lachman & Weaver, 1998). Cristel Antonia Russell and Sidney Levy use the term “reconsumption” to refer to the consumption experiences that people actively and consciously seek to experience again. In a 2011 study, they find that knowing what will happen implies order and safety, especially during times when our lives feel uncomfortably less controlled.
Least Effort
Revisiting familiar movies, television, music or art requires less effort than consuming new media. We’ve all experienced the desire to plop down in front of the television and zone out after a long day. That feeling of emotional relief can be significant if you’re in a particularly anxious or stressed mental state.
Nostalgia
Previously consumed material can provoke feelings of nostalgia for a time where we some form of positive affect — perhaps the moment we met our partner or a time we celebrated with friends or family. Films like Star Wars or the fever dream that is Nothin’ But Trouble take me back to the times when I laughed and spent quality time with family and childhood friends. In this same way, revisiting art can allow us to release negative energy and begin the healing process. We all have our go-to songs that bring out the tears, but can help us move past difficult times. I can recall nights during my high school phase, sitting in my car in a Burger King parking lot, feeling all the feels after a love interest had rejected me, listening to Dashboard Confessional at full volume. haha
Parasocial Relationships
Often subconsciously, we put ourselves into the lives of the characters we watch in our favorite movies. This tendency can form a type of parasocial relationship providing us some relief during a particularly challenging time. Someone going through a breakup, for example, may find relief through the character in a romantic comedy who suffers trials and tribulations only to find love in the end — the narrative in the film Notting Hill being a great example. I recently read a fiction novel by the author Neil Gaiman titled Neverwhere that tells the story of a man stuck in a bad relationship and an unfulfilling life who finds himself suddenly transported to a mysterious underworld in London. Much like Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Neverwhere inspires adventure and risk taking in the face of uncertainty. A book I will assuredly revisit in the future.
Growth
“How can you watch the same movie over and over? Don’t you get bored?” Two questions I’ve received from time to time. For some films, the answer is yes. Particularly films with weak character arcs, or films that fail to inspire positive outcomes such as people finding love, overcoming a significant challenge, or finding hope in an unusual place (see All The Light We Cannot See).
The thing is… for films like Notting Hill, and even films from my childhood like Indiana Jones, with each viewing I’m observing and learning something new. In Notting Hill, I’m paying close attention to the dynamic between the two central characters, William Thacker and Anna Scott, and through their behavior, I’m learning more about where my relationship values lie. I’m learning that I’m becoming more aware of what and who I open my heart to, and I’m moving closer to aligning with the many positive qualities exhibited by William’s friends and family in the film. In Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade (1989), I’m watching the father-son dynamic, portrayed by Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. I’m exploring how I was raised and considering the kind of father I’d like to be. I’m applying fundamentals from relationship psychology and reviewing how these relationships can change over time, from parent-child relationships to adult-adult and so on.
Zooming in: Music
In the context of familiar music and emotion activation, I reviewed a study by Pereira et al. (2011) that found that participants (n=27) exposed to familiar and unfamiliar music under fMRI scan exhibited several clusters of significant activations associated with emotional control. In contrast to those exposed to unfamiliar music, those exposed to familiar music saw activated areas in the anterior cingulate cortex (x=2), associated with heightened cognitive and emotional processing, increased attentional control, enhanced conflict monitoring, and potentially greater engagement in emotional regulation and decision-making processes. The amygdala (z=-18), associated with reduced fear and stress responses, improved emotional regulation and control, attenuated negative emotions, and potential alterations in social-emotional processing. The thalamus (z=16), associated with heightened sensory processing, increased arousal, amplified relay of sensory information to higher brain regions, and potentially heightened emotional responses and awareness. The researchers found that familiarity with music was the key factor that triggered increased blood oxygen level dependence (BOLD) response in emotion-related regions, namely in the putamen, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex and thalamus. In sum, Pereira et al. find that familiarity with a particular piece of music is an extremely important component for emotional engagement, and provides “direct access” to emotional centers of the brain.
Summing it all up
In short, repeat exposure to films or television is no different than repeat exposure to the songs we love. As we consume films and television, the mere-exposure effect predicts that we’ll grow more attached to this stimuli. We find comfort and safety through reconsumption of film and television, as we already know the sequences and outcomes and are familiar with the rhythm of the stories conveyed. For these same reasons, watching familiar film and television is easy on the mind and allows us to unwind when we’re feeling particularly stressed. The nostalgia of previously watched material can transport us back to another time when we felt desirable emotions, or inspired us to take a leap into the unknown. Familiar characters allow us to develop a form of parasocial relationship, where we imagine or fantasize about how we might approach certain situations our characters find themselves in, given our unique perspective. And last, revisiting familiar stories and characters allows us to look introspectively, examining the experiences and relationships we’ve had in our lives, and how we’ve grown or intend to grow in the future.