Everyone loves movies, but especially comfort movies—those kinds of stories that give viewers butterflies in their stomachs, evoked no sense of fear or stress, or brought infinite laughter and a lighter mood after a busy day, pushing away all of life’s problems.
This realization posed an intriguing question: Why were college students so obsessed with comfort movies? It could be the constant feeling of safety, knowing that nothing bad would happen—the unimaginable romance. Even so, comfort movies were drastically different from the roller coaster of uneasiness that most students faced while transitioning from their teenage years to adulthood.
In the real world, even though there were many happy moments, life could surprise people with a simple turn of events, whether it was a breakup, a bad grade or devastating news. Meanwhile, in comfort movies, stressful moments were almost nonexistent; the stories were filled with love, humor and a sense of safety. Could it be that most people, especially young adults, watched comfort movies to escape reality?
To gain a broader understanding of this topic, Jasmine Juaréz, sophomore business administration major, shared her opinion on the impact of these movies on students’ lives.
“I believe that escaping reality is a huge reason why people are obsessed with movies,” Juaréz said. “But I also believe that people are obsessed with it because of the thrill, excitement and the instant serotonin they achieve when watching their favorite show or movie.”
There was no doubt that comfort movies brought relaxation to those who watched them. However, a specific pattern emerged: most young adults preferred rewatching movies rather than discovering new ones. This raised a new perspective—many people struggled with the anxiety of not knowing what might happen, breaking the predictable comfort movie formula.
With that in mind, why would young adults prefer to delay certain necessary experiences and remain in their comfort zones? Enrique Ibarra, sophomore film major, gave his perspective.
“I believe young adults choose to watch their comfort movies on repeat rather than new ones because it makes them feel comfortable within their preferred space,” Ibarra said. “That is until they are ready to experience something new that they may not have seen or experienced before.”
With the stressful routines most college students faced, it was natural to want to turn off their brains for a few moments and relax. However, some students used streaming platforms to procrastinate their responsibilities or even avoid dealing with daily life challenges.
So, did watching comfort movies bring more benefits to daily life or not? When asked this question, Dr. Carol Minton-Ryan, professor of sociology, shared her insights on the topic.
“It helps college students to cope, it gives them creative ideas and it certainly can help them to reinterpret their own journey,” Minton-Ryan said. “The bottom line is that it cannot be done excessively to impede one’s needed tasks to be successful at work and in their family life.”
The magic of comfort movies would always offer people, especially students, a sense of safety, love and fantasy amid the chaos of life. They helped students understand themselves better, enhanced creativity and provided much-needed relaxation.
It was well known that some students indulged excessively, which was unhealthy. To create balance and a better quality of life, students needed to learn how to use streaming platforms wisely—without compromising their daily responsibilities and mental growth—while still enjoying the peace that comfort movies provided.
