Are movies and stress somehow connected? Can watching a movie relieve stress?
Is that could become a stress management tip for some people? Maybe or maybe not. Let’s see!
Stress is something we all experience more than we want to admit ourselves, but it’s how it is. It is not always easy to say goodbye to stress and reduce stress levels. This is why you are here. There are many ways to reduce stress naturally and relax.
Today we talk about one fun activity that can potentially reduce stress levels and make you feel better. If you are doing something you enjoy doing and you have fun, you can get free of stress, anxiety and worry easily.
Movies and Stress
There are two ways of how movies affect your stress levels. Watching movies can make you more stressed or it can be the opposite – watching a movie can relieve stress and make you feel better. It can improve your mood, but it depends on you and the movie you watch.
Watching great movies can be an excellent way to relieve stress. But you need to be careful about it because watching too much television can be bad for you and you can even get addicted to TV.
Scary Movies and Stress
I don’t like to watch scary movies, but there are people who like. Maybe you too. One research 
suggests that watching a scary movie relieve stress and anxiety. It can spook your stress away.
Strangely, negative stimuli improve mood significantly and in that way, you can say goodbye to stress.
If you don’t like being scared like me, you can’t force yourself to watch something frightening, because it won’t work and you can’t experience the benefits.
It’s similar to other things – if you enjoy something, it will work and relieve stress by doing something you like. But never relieve stress by doing something you hate. Remember that and almost everything can become the best stress relief technique for you.
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What Are the Best Movies For Stress Relief?
Of course, I only can talk about myself. However, there are some tips that reduce stress and if these elements are used in a movie, then that movie can be great for stress and anxiety relief.
But it all depends on you because as I said before for some people even scary movies can reduce stress and make them feel better about themselves and their lives.
What to look for in a movie?
- Laughter. One of the best ways to relieve stress is through funny stuff that makes you laugh and enjoy yourself. Laughter almost always makes you feel great and let go of tension, anxiety and improves your mood. There are great comedies that can get a job done and you obviously feel lighter and freer after watching them.
One of my favorite comedies is Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and I watched it several times. Another great comedy that I enjoyed very much is 3 Idiots (2009). Something was a little bit strange there, but overall it was a good movie with a great message.
Conclusion
Always it’s better to use different ways to relieve stress because not everything works for every situation. Watching a great movie can be an amazing way to relieve stress and anxiety, but not always and not for everyone.
You need to be careful and not to do this every day, because it can make you addicted to television and even more stressed and anxious.
If you enjoy scary movies, watching them will be a good stress relief technique for you. But don’t ever force yourself to do it, because it can make you more stressed and anxious.
Do you like watching movies? What is your favorite movie? Do you watch scary movies? Do you enjoy them? Let me know below!
Are you looking for a great comedy for stress relief? CLICK HERE for more information!
Thank you! Until next time!
Linda Mo
Founder of How To Reduce Stress Naturally
Hi Linda,
I used to waths scary movies when I was younger. In fact, it became an addiction of sorts for me. As I have gotten older I like to sit down and watch movies that are less stressful on me emotionally and especially if they give me a good laugh. I actually find many of the old black and white movies to be entertaining just because they were more dialog based and don’t rely so much on special effects to entertain. Great post.
Dave
Hi, David!
Did they help you reduce stress or anxiety?
Nice. As I said in this article, I never really liked the scary movies, because somehow I don’t see any reason to watch them.
Interesting! Maybe I need to check old black white movies.
Thank you!
While its true that watching certain programs can be relaxing, it never occurred to me to use my viewing options as a way to reduce stress. Although, now that I think about it, The joy of painting with Bob Ross always relaxes me and puts me in a good mood.
I love the movie Mrs Doubtfire as well. My favorite scene/line in the movie is when he throws the fruit at Pierce Brosnan’s head then calls it a “drive by fruiting” in a British accent. LOL
Hi, Margarette! Watching movies or series can help us with stress relief, but we always need to remember that watching too much television, movies can do the opposite and make us feel worse.
🙂 Yes. It is a great movie, and I watched it too many times to count.
Thank you for your comment!
It’s strange that scary movies relieves stress. This is the first time I am hearing about it. For me scary movies can increase my stress levels drastically. Well I guess everyone is different. You have to find what works for you. The idea of watching movies to relieve your stress is a really good idea and a lot of people do it.
You can watch your favorite movies and also funny movies and this can really help u feel relaxed thereby reducing your stress levels.
Yes, it is strange, Jay, but for some people it’s true. There is one research that shows that watching horror movies can spook the stress out. I can’t even imagine that, and it somehow seems terrifying to me. lol 🙂
For me, horror movies can make everything worse. Yes, we all are unique in our ways and different from others. Watching movies to relieve stress is a great idea, but we need to be careful not to get addicted to television or movies.
Yes, indeed.
Thank you for your comment, Jay! Have a great day!
This is interesting. I never thought of movies and stress being related to one another, but it does make sense! I used to LOVE scary movies, but now I can’t watch them. Like you, they stress me out so much! Although, I do like thrillers and they are stressful too. But I feel like it’s a different kind of stress.
I absolutely love comedies! And those are definitely a great way for me to relieve stress for sure. In fact, if I’m in a bad mood, I can just put on a funny movie and by the end, I feel awesome again.
This was fun to think about, thank you!
Hi, Cristina!
Lately, I found many ways, many connections between some things and stress. Stress is a part of our lives, and we are stressed out too much so there are a lot of connections. I believe scary movies are bad for stress relief, but for some people, they work and help them reduce stress. It’s interesting how different we are. I guess that is a different kind of stress, and maybe that helps us to let go of the kind of stress we are usually experiencing.
I also love comedies, but of course, not all of them. There are great comedies out there that can help us to reduce stress, because laughter is an amazing way to relax and relieve stress. Comedies can help us to feel better and improve our mood. It’s great to read that comedies help you in that regard.
Thank you for your comment, Christina!