Over the past several years, the conversations around mental health have also begun to extend to other areas of daily life, including how we consume media. Abbie Kay, an expert Stateofwriting’s writer, dove into investigating how the film might impact students’ mental health. Kay reveals her findings on the profound effects cinema can have on viewers’ moods, stress levels, and overall mental health.
Escapism vs. Reality
At the heart of Kay’s work lies the powerful image of escapism: the momentary immersion in an alternative world that movies can provide. It can be hugely beneficial for students laden with schoolwork and its associated anxieties and problems: how often have I, or anyone, watched a film as a way of escaping a day, or even an hour? But Kay also points out how escapism can create a sense of distance from reality and thus from one’s responsibilities, a dangerous condition that can lead to alienation from the world; ultimately, it might cause anxiety to resurface when reality returns.
Amidst academic pressures, movies can offer a much-needed break, but balancing entertainment with studies can be challenging. If you wonder, “Who can write my coursework for me?” StateOfWriting can come in handy. Using this service, students delegate some of their academic workload, ensuring they have time to unwind with a good movie without compromising their studies. Learners can maintain a healthy balance between their academic responsibilities and personal well-being.
Emotional Resonance and Empathy
Kay’s research also examines how films can help with emotional growth and empathy. Movies often elicit strong emotions regularly – after all, if a film can’t make us laugh, cry, or scream, it might not be exciting – and empathizing with fictional characters on screen could be healthy and cathartic. Films with characters who struggle with moral dilemmas might also improve our problem-solving abilities by enabling us to see other viewpoints. Students exposed to various life stories or human experiences on screen can enhance their ability to understand an individual’s feelings and experiences outside their own.
Influence on Perception and Attitudes
Kay’s research underscores how movies, particularly film scenes, play a significant role in shaping students’ views and values on social problems and personal ideologies. To start with, this is how films impact us:
- Shaping Opinions: Powerful storytelling in films can sway viewers’ opinions.
- Altering Beliefs: Movies have the potential to change beliefs through persuasive narratives.
- Encouraging Tolerance: They can build empathy by exposing viewers to people with different cultures and ideas.
- Risk of Stereotypes: Films also risk reinforcing stereotypes if not critically analyzed.
Watching films in this manner can activate our deliberative capacities, deepening our understanding and heightening our critical skills.
Stress Relief and Mood Improvement
Another key finding from Kay’s research is that movies can help reduce stress and feel good. There is limited evidence to suggest that watching a movie can improve mood and reduce stress, mainly if that movie is humorous or uplifting. An excellent way for students to implement film viewing into their routine is by having designated movie nights. Not only will it be a great way to help reduce stress, but watching a movie with a group of peers can improve your mood and feelings of social connection, which is essential to good mental health. Here, you can find the best comedy movies about student life that can boost your mood.
Potential Risks of Content Overload
There are significant advantages, but Kay issued stern warnings of downsides as well, as they are always the two sides of the same coin. In the digital realm, where streaming media is abundant, there is a temptation to binge for long periods, possibly leading to a broken night’s sleep, decreased physical activity, and feelings of guilt or anxiety about wasting a significant amount of time. Moderation is the guideline, of course. Set a limit to screen use, and ensure the media chosen is positive for emotional and psychological needs.
Reel Reflections: Cinema and the Psyche
What does all of this imply for the relationship between cinema and those treacherous years of early adulthood, for the films that allow us to peer into undergraduate life, and for young people coping with the immense mental demands of student life, be they freshers or masters students? Abbie Kay’s research provides some clues. The cinema offers entertainment and diversion, to be sure, but it can do so much more – it can also teach, heal, and enable. It is thanks to its powerful emotional valence. Your film queue might just be more powerful than you think.
