SCREEN TIME

How what you watch affects your health

This week: Tearjerkers make you happier IT MIGHT seem counter-intuitive, but sad films are good for mood, it seems. A 2012 study from Ohio State University published in Communication Research found that people were happier after watching Atonement (with its account of separated lovers) than they were before seeing the film. The researchers believe that the tragic story made the participants focus on their own happy relationships — which raised mood. Psychologist Bernie Wooder, who uses film in his treatments, suggests a simpler reason: ‘Sad films make us cry, and we often feel better after crying.’

The journal Frontiers In Psychology suggested in 2014 this may be because crying helps to release stress chemicals, including cortisol, from the body.