Guilty and we love it
THERE IS HOME COMFORT IN ESCAPISM AND IT’S ALSO A TELEVISION BLAST FROM THE PAST
It’s official! Watching Friends is good for your health. And Gossip Girl, too, for that matter. Or even Game of Thrones, if that’s your thing. Psychologists say watching your favourite shows in lockdown can be a mood booster, create a feeling of stability and stave off loneliness.
Amid the chaos created by Covid, Dr Marny Lishman says rewatching the shows from one’s youth can trigger happy memories and help us cope better.
“I find that in tough times, a lot of people will go back to shows from the past that they probably have already watched, just because nostalgia actually makes people feel good,” Lishman explains.
“So, if we were consuming say the Gilmore Girls or Friends or something that we watched 20 years ago, then the brain takes us back to those times and it actually makes us feel good in the now. “That primal part of our brain doesn’t know the difference between a thought and reality, so it almost takes you back to the days when you were younger and probably more carefree, which actually elicits the emotion now. So, it’s actually very good for you, psychologically.”
From a bloody epic such as Game Of Thrones, to the crinoline and lace of a period drama, Dr Lishman says some TV shows provide pure, unadulterated escapism from the monotony of being stuck inside your house 24/7.
“The old-worldly shows – the Bridgertons and the Downton Abbeys – they’re so far removed from reality that a lot of people are watching them because it is very different to what’s happening right now,” she says.
“So, there’s an element of escapism there for people, again, which makes us feel good.”
Of course, it isn’t only sitcoms, rom-coms and fantasy adventures that make viewers feel good. It might sound strange, but psychologist Rea says, for some people, a high-octane
It almost takes you back to the days when you’re younger and probably more carefree.
action film or a suspenseful crime drama can be just as comforting.
“We choose shows to increase our wellbeing (during lockdown),” she says.
“So, our wellbeing might be that we are bored out of our brain so we watch terrorist shows because they incite fear or scare us. Basically, they stimulate our emotions.
“Equally, if we’re hyper aroused or anxious, we might go for shows that are set in the 20th century, such as Downton Abbey to increase our positive psychology, our wellbeing.
“If we’re feeling really insecure or frightened by Covid, some might want to watch shows they’ve seen before or that are very predictable so that we feel we have some control because we can anticipate the outcome of the show.” One of the worst parts of being confined to the house and unable to socialise with friends and family is the loneliness and sense of isolation that it causes, particularly for those who live alone. Rea says it’s understandable, then, that some people look to television to fill the gaps with romantic dramas or racy soaps because they’re not “feeling loved, touched or connected” in their real life.
She adds that jumping on the bandwagon with hot new shows such as Mare Of Easttown and Gossip Girl – which were generating lots of buzz on social media – could also help people feel like they were part of a community, creating feelings and a sense of connectivity akin to watercooler chat people are accustomed to in the office.