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Rewatch, Relisten, Repeat: Insights From Comfort Media Use

In today’s increasingly complex world, filled with excessive stimuli, individuals often turn to familiar media not for novelty or excitement, but for comfort. This phenomenon, referred to as ‘’comforting media,’’ includes TV shows, movies, music, or online videos. People choose comforting media to relax, calm down, regulate their emotions, or for many other reasons. As digital content becomes increasingly accessible, the reasons why individuals engage with comforting media so frequently have become an important area of research. In this therapy session, comforting media will be defined, the reasons for turning to comforting media will be evaluated, and the effects of comforting media on human life will be discussed.

What is Comfort Media?

To begin with a definition, comfort media refers to any type of media content that individuals repeatedly consume or return to for emotional relief, security, and predictability (Peck, 2020). Unlike exploratory or novelty-seeking media use, comforting media is driven by familiarity and emotional reassurance. On the other hand, comfort media is defined as a subjective concept for individuals. This is because comfort media is closely linked to nostalgia and is therefore tied to an individual’s personal past experiences and emotions (Khanbeigi, 2023).

Comfort media can include: 

  • Movies or television series we rewatch
  • Books or comics we reread
  • Video games we play over again
  • Podcasts or music we re-listen to

Why Do People Engage In Comfort Media? 

People engage in comfort media for different reasons. Some of the main reasons are as follows:

Emotion Regulation: Comfort media plays an important role in reducing negative effects and promoting emotional balance. By providing a predictable emotional narrative, it reduces anxiety, depressive mood, and feelings of uncertainty (Jancike-Bowles et al., 2024). Watching something familiar keeps the brain in a safe and predictable environment while stimulating the senses (Minaa, 2025). In today’s world, where our nervous systems are often in fight-or-flight mode, comforting media creates a grounding effect that calms both the mind and body.

Attachment and Parasocial Relationships: Consumption of comfort media often involves parasocial relationships; one-sided relationships with media figures mimic real social connections (Horton & Wohl, 1956; Giles, 2002). These bonds can evoke feelings of friendship and emotional security, especially in individuals experiencing social isolation. Familiar characters can act as symbolic attachment figures by reinforcing internal working models of security.

Nostalgia and Identity Continuity: Comfort films trigger nostalgia, an emotional longing for the past, and this is associated with improved mood and emotional well-being (Wildschut et al., 2006). On the other hand, nostalgic media helps individuals establish a sense of identity and continuity over time by reminding them of previous stages of their lives. Furthermore, it is known that nostalgic experiences can counteract loneliness and provide individuals with a sense of belonging (Routledge et al., 2013). 

Cognitive Ease and Predictability: Familiar media provides cognitive ease because information is easy to understand, thereby facilitating smooth media processing. This fluency reduces cognitive effort and provides relief during mentally exhausting periods (Reber et al., 2004). On the other hand, following a predictable plot also gives the individual a small but important sense of control.

Can Comfort Media Harm Us? 

Comfort media can create a healing space for many people, but like any form of coping, comfort media can impact us negatively. 

Comfort media can:

  • Create a stress avoidance cycle 
  • Keep us stuck in nostalgia or fantasy
  • Disrupt routines or productivity
  • Reinforce unhealthy belief systems
  • Keeps us disconnected 

Healthy Engagement with Comfort Media

Engaging in your comfort media can be helpful as long as it’s done in moderation. Here are ways to engage in your comfort media in healthy ways:

  • Introspection
  • Balance & moderation 
  • Diversifying self-care & coping 

Introspection: In order to engage with comfort media in a healthy way, it’s important to understand what comfort media means to you and why you are doing it. Try asking yourself the following reflective questions:

  • What does this [book, movie, show] mean to me?
  • Why does this [book, movie, show] bring me comfort? 
  • Am I avoiding anything? 
  • Am I using this [book, movie, show] to escape reality?
  • Are there other things I can do to relax or cope? 
  • Is this [book, movie, show] anchoring me to a part of my past?

Balance & Moderation: Like any self-care or coping mechanism, the key is moderation. In order for your comfort media to retain its positive effect on you, it’s important to balance this activity with other activities.  

  • Set limits for yourself
  • Think of other activities you can do in tandem with your comfort media
  • Balance comfort media with new forms of media (perhaps movies, shows, or books) in the same genre or by the same author. 

Diversifying Self-Care & Coping: Coping and self-care are ways we prevent and manage mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and burnout. 

Engaging in comfort media offers a way for people to escape reality and go to a happier place (maybe a previous time point or a fictional place). However, what happens when this media is no longer available (e.g., is removed from streaming)?

This is why identifying various ways to manage stress is important. Other activities that can be helpful include: 

  • Journaling/writing
  • Painting/drawing 
  • Socializing 
  • Exercising 

In conclusion, the psychological appeal of comforting media lies in its ability to offer familiarity, nostalgia, emotional regulation, cognitive ease, parasocial relationships, and a sense of control. Regardless of which type of comforting media you choose, it will serve as an effective coping mechanism in this unpredictable world. As media consumption continues to rise, the popularity of shows containing comforting elements underscores the fundamental human need for both emotional security and stability (Niwlikar, 2025). While benefiting from the positive aspects of comforting media, it is important to develop alternative coping mechanisms and engage in various other activities to avoid becoming dependent on it.

Takeaways:

  • Today’s increasing digital stimuli and the complexity of life are directing individuals toward familiar media content that offers emotional comfort rather than innovation.
  • Comfort media refers to familiar media content that individuals repeatedly consume for emotional security and predictability.
  • The use of comfort media is not merely a matter of entertainment preference; it has also become a subject of psychological study as a form of emotional regulation and stress management.
  • Comfort media serves individuals by helping them regulate their emotions, feel emotionally secure through parasocial relationships, establish identity continuity through nostalgia, and maintain psychological balance by providing cognitive comfort.
  • Comfort media supports psychological balance by offering emotional relief and escape, but when taken to excess, it can lead to avoidance cycles, decreased productivity, and detachment from reality.

References

  1. Menke, M. (2017). Seeking comfort in past media: Modelling media nostalgia as a way of coping with media change. International Journal of Communication, 11, 21.
  2. Niwlikar, B. (2025, February 10). Psychology of Comfort TV Shows and Movies: 5 Interesting Reasons Why You keep going back to them -. PsychUniverse. https://psychuniverse.com/psychology-of-comfort-tv-shows-and-movies/
  3. Minaa, B. (2025, January 20). The psychology behind why we can’t stop rewatching our comfort shows. I’M SO MATURE. https://imsomature.substack.com/p/why-do-we-keep-rewatching-tv-shows
  4. Khanbeigi, S. The psychology behind comfort media. (2023, February 15). The OLu MUSE. https://olumuse.org/2023/02/15/the-psychology-behind-comfort-media/
  5. Routledge, C., Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Juhl, J., & Arndt, J. (2013). “The power of the past: Nostalgia as a meaning-making resource.” Emotion, 13(3), 453-460.
  6. Peck, A. (2020). Why we keep rewatching The Office: Comfort TV and emotional resilience. The Atlantic.
  7. Janicke-Bowles, S. H. (2024). Introducing the Transcendent Media Experience Model (TMEM). Communication Research, 52(4), 427-453. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502241287830  (Original work published 2025)
  8. Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229.
  9. Giles, D. C. (2002). “Parasocial interactions: A review of the literature and a model for future research.” Media Psychology, 4(3), 279-305.
  10. Wildschut, T., Sedikides, C., Arndt, J., & Routledge, C. (2006). Nostalgia: Content, triggers, functions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(5), 975–993. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.91.5.975
  11. Reber, R., Schwarz, N., & Winkielman, P. (2004). Processing Fluency and Aesthetic Pleasure: Is Beauty in the Perceiver’s Processing Experience? Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8(4), 364-382. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0804_3  (Original work published 2004)
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