"Last week, I caught myself starting The Office for what must be the fifteenth time. My partner walked in, saw Jim pranking Dwight with the stapler in Jell-O, and just shook his head. "Again?" he asked. And honestly? I couldn't explain why I kept going back to the same show when there's literally endless content available at my fingertips. But here's the thing: I'm not alone in this."
"According to Psychology Today, rewatching familiar content serves as a form of emotional regulation. When our lives feel unpredictable or overwhelming, our brains seek out experiences where we know exactly what's coming next. There's no cognitive load required to process new plot twists or remember character names. We already know who wins, who loses, and exactly when that perfectly timed joke will land."
Millions of people repeatedly watch familiar television shows and series, preferring the predictable over exploring new content. Daily life presents numerous small decisions and uncertain outcomes, and rewatching known media reduces cognitive load because plots, characters, and punchlines are already familiar. During times of stress, such as job loss or freelancing transitions, repeated viewing can serve as emotional regulation by providing a controllable, unsurprising experience. Research identifies rewatching familiar content as a strategy for seeking refuge from unpredictability. Predictability in entertainment removes the need to process new twists and eases momentary anxiety.
Read at Silicon Canals
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