Why Do We Like to Watch the Same Films Over and Over Again?

What people are saying
about the RunPee app.

Tawney Markham

May 15, 2020

Got this back when I was pregnant, but I’ll be keeping it forever, it’s just so handy. I don’t go to the movie theater that often (even back before quarantine when you actually could…) but I make sure the app and the movie list are all current and updated, cause it’s so handy! It’s great for running late cause you can read their

What people are saying
about the RunPee app.

summary, obviously awesome for bathroom or snack breaks mid movie, and I also love that it tells you if there’s anything after the credits which is very handy.

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For example, when we watch ‘Titanic’, we remember with whom we saw it the first time, the scenes in which we were moved, how we thought then about love, life in general, and so on.

It is at this point that these two psychologists, in a report published in the Journal of Consumer Research, point out that even the experience of watching the same film over and over again can help us to be aware of how we overcome a conflictive situation, such as the death of a loved one.

That is why we don’t necessarily like to watch “happy” films, but also dramas or even nostalgic films. Each takes us through different states that remind us of old times.

Likewise, the specialists point out that our mind distinguishes the emotions aroused by our favorite films, and that is why we see the need to watch them at a specific time. When we are happy, we remember a memorable comedy, and if we are going through a sad situation, we turn to a dramatic one.

The report also details that re-consumption involves an active search for new meanings with great emotional value, hence its “therapeutic effect”.

Why do kids watch the same film so many times without getting tired of it?

Children also enjoy watching their favorite films over and over again

In the case of children, a phenomenon similar to that of adults occurs, although, of course, not as intense.

Children enjoy watching the same film, or the same scene, over and over again, because they are aware that they know what will happen and feel comfortable and safe.

Seeing a film repeatedly makes it possible to elaborate on a theme or turn a problem of one’s own. We think that we are only spectators in the cinema, but in reality, due to the phenomenon of identification, what is reflected on the screen often lives close to our own: the life of the other person can be our own life, and we are not merely observers, because sometimes what we see conditions us. Cinema allows people to identify with what they see and can lead to a resolution. It has a vicarious effect: you learn through the experience of others.

So, watching the same film over and over again is not something strange and even less addictive, but, in addition to pleasure, it is linked to the conscious or unconscious search for more profound levels of introspection.

In this respect, it should be emphasized that if a person goes to the same film over and over again (as can also happen with a song) for the mere fact of “repeating”, then we are dealing with an unresolved emotional picture that needs to be treated, especially when melancholy is awakened.

It is advisable, in such cases, to consult a specialist as there is some mental obstacle that prevents one from expanding the mind, awakening creativity, and, in short, taking charge of the present.

“As long as one is actively aware of re-experiencing – and not a passive, uncontrollable addiction – it can offer many opportunities for self-reflection,” Russell points out in his work.

On the other hand, as we said, re-consumption can lead to a state of catharsis, when the person identifies with the character, experiences internally what happens in the film, and releases pent-up emotions.

“Re-experiencing allows one to become aware of repressed or suppressed traumatic events,” adds the specialist.

That is why therapists generally emphasize the “healing” aspect of reliving or re-experiencing our favorite films.

Cinema is like an infinite game of Chinese boxes, like overlapping stories that sometimes address several crucial aspects of each of us. They make us discover things about ourselves through them. Hence the subjective or therapeutic effect it can have.

So, you know, if you like to enjoy the same film over and over again, rest assured that you are not the only one and that this habit shows that, in addition to laughing or crying at that memorable scene, you are probably experiencing, at the same time, a process of introspection and inner growth.

Dan Gardner

Creator and developer of the RunPee app. When something doesn’t work right in the app it’s pretty much his fault. 🙂

Aspiring author. Would like to finish his “Zombie Revelations” trilogy if he could break away for working on RunPee and the cottage he’s building for RunPee Mom.