After a long day, sometimes it seems like the best way to unwind is settling into the couch and turning on a TV show you’ve seen a hundred times before — but experts say there might be deeper reasons behind your decision to revisit an old favorite.
While starting a show you have never seen can bring on a binge-worthy obsession or an escape into a new world, studies show that rewatching TV that you’re familiar with can provide another type of escape by allowing your mind to relax and take a backseat.
“Knowing what will happen bestows order and safety, especially during times when our lives feel uncomfortably less controlled,” Robert N. Kraft, professor emeritus of cognitive psychology at Otterbein University, told Psychology Today.
Tuning in to a story where you already know the ending means that your brain does not have to work to process new information, which allows you to conserve energy and relax into a cozy or nostalgic watch.
This means that whether it is a conscious decision or not, the urge to rewatch something comforting could indicate that you have been experiencing stress or uncertainty that is causing your system to feel depleted and crave something soothing.
A 2013 study in Social Psychological and Personality Science similarly revealed that people often opt for familiar fictional worlds when they feel out of control and want to regain a sense of certainty.
While TV lovers often opt to rewatch episodic comedies like The Office, sitcoms like Friends, or cozy dramas like Gilmore Girls, even rewatching thrillers or mysteries that you have already seen can feel relaxing because you feel safe knowing what happens in the story.
“This is not laziness but rather a basic evolutionary fact that organisms (including humans) conserve energy by choosing a course of action that requires the smallest amount of effort,” Kraft said.
In some cases, it is more than the reliable storylines — seeing familiar faces that you previously connected with can make you feel less lonely, even if only temporarily.
“Knowing exactly what will happen gives us a sense of personally controlling the outcomes. The same goes for rewatching movies and series. Repeated viewings may make us feel that the characters are taking our commands. And this feeling of directing the people and their actions can bring about abundant satisfaction,” Kraft said.
When asked about why people come back to the same series over again, Ugly Betty’s villain Vanessa Williams told The Independent in November that she understands the nostalgic urge to rewatch because it reminds her of the desire to listen to your old favorite songs.
“I think it’s like your favorite songs,” Williams said. “You’ve got your playlist and sometimes just want to tap into what makes you feel good, especially when you’ve had a day that’s kind of challenging and you just want to escape and know that you’re guaranteed the laugh.”
