Spoilers for Stranger Things season 4.
After a three-year hiatus, Stranger Things finally came out with its fourth season this past May. Even if you haven’t seen the show, you’ve most likely heard of it, whether it’s through friends and family, or internet memes, or even through TikTok trends. The show is widely popular and hugely successful. If you haven’t seen this latest season and intend to, be warned there will be some slight spoilers ahead. Not only did season 4 take a darker, more horror-like turn, but it also dove into the complexities of trauma and healing. One of the main storylines for season 4 was “Vecna’s Curse”. Vecna seemed to be a trauma monster, feeding on the anguish of the psychologically vulnerable, trapping them in a trance-like state before killing them. All of Vecna’s victims were teens haunted by past traumas, specifically some were weighed down by their perceived misdeeds/choices. One of the main characters, Max Mayfield, realizes that she has been “cursed” and is running out of time before Vecna comes for her. Her friends figure out that the way to break out of Vecna’s “spell” is for her to listen to her favorite song. So, when Vecna does come for Max, and she is put in a trance, her friends play Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on her Walkman, inevitably purging Max of the curse and saving her life. A beautiful scene, one that was a fan favorite and was definitely one of my favorites. Watching Max fight against Vecna and run towards her friends, eventually breaking free of the trance while “Running Up That Hill” plays in the background, was a beautiful and moving scene. However, Vecna still had his sights on Max, and she was still in danger, so she spent most of the rest of season continuously listening to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on her Walkman to keep Vecna out of her mind.
One of the running jokes I’ve heard about this season is “what if Max got sick and tired of that song and it wasn’t her favorite anymore,” then it wouldn’t be able to save her from Vecna right? I think it’s an interesting question, and while it’s true that people do get sick and tired of listening to the same thing over and over again, I still think “Running Up That Hill” would save Max even if she got tired of it. Music therapy and the healing powers of music is one thing, this has more to do with why many of us repeat old shows, movies, and songs, specifically when we are overwhelmed or going through a hard time. The mere exposure effect explains this in simple terms. According to the mere exposure effect, people tend to prefer things that are familiar to them. I think that for many of us who are going through a hard time, or dealing with PTSD or anxiety, at a subconscious level we just want to stay with things that are safe and things that we know. Rewatching shows/movies or listening to specific songs on repeat keeps us grounded, attached to our bodies, and to real life when we are going through trauma or dealing with PTSD or anxiety. I mean, they’re called comfort songs/shows/movies/etc. for a reason. They provide us comfort, sort of like a security blanket. I remember when the pandemic had started, it was also around the time that I had graduated from college, so it was a confusing and stressful time for me. There were a lot of new shows that had come out around that time, but I just couldn’t bring myself to watch anything new. Instead, I started rewatching Criminal Minds. Anytime I tried to start a new show, I always seemed to find myself back to watching another episode of Criminal Minds. It was comforting to know what would happen in each episode and how it all ends. It also remined me of simpler times, when I wasn’t so stressed and worried about the future, as well as the present.
These past few years have been pretty stressful with the pandemic, the election, police brutality, unemployment on the rise, and more recently with inflation, the overturning of Row v. Wade, more and more legislation being passed that are harmful to minorities, the consequences of climate change all over the world, and the rise of mass shootings in America, it has been a pretty stressful and scary time overall. It feels like anytime you turn on the TV or go online, there is some new crisis, more bad news, and more things happening that are out of your control. You can protest, sign petitions, vote, and send messages to your representatives, but then you’re left waiting and hoping for the slightest bit of good news in a sea of bad news. It’s stressful, exhausting, and anxiety inducing when you’re surrounded by things that are out of your control. And with the pandemic, your routine and habits have completely been disrupted. We’re all creatures of habit. Walking to work the same way every day or driving the route, putting your shoes or clothes in a certain part of the room, going out to eat on specific days, and going to the gym on certain days at specific times. These are all habits that give us a sense of control. Lack of control leads to feelings of uncertainty and uncertainty is fuel for anxiety. So sometimes it’s difficult to start a new show, where you don’t know what will happen next or how it will end. It can be far more comfortable to stick with something you know. There are no unexpected twists or turns, and you can always skip certain episodes that may be too emotional draining to rewatch, depending on the type of show your watching, without missing chunks of the plot.
Not only does rewatching your favorite shows provide a sense of control, but there is also this nostalgia that comes from it. Nostalgia is the link between our memories and emotions. Studies have shown that while experiencing nostalgia, there is activity in the memory areas of the brain and in the parts that give us “rewards,” or positive feelings and sensations [1]. The neural activity activated by rewatching a show that you like causes the release of feel-good chemicals, like dopamine, so you are left with a warm and soothing feeling. And because our brains like to make paired associations, when you rewatch something specific, it can remind you of a particularly happy time in your life and re-evoke some of the happy emotions you felt at that point. So not only does rewatching or relistening to familiar media provide a sense of comfort but it also gives our brain a rest, whereas watching something new presents unexpected twists and turns. So, if you find yourself rewatching one of your favorite shows/movies for the 10th time or listening to one song on repeat, remember that you’re not alone and there’s nothing wrong in finding comfort in the familiar. In these times where we’re constantly bombarded by bad news, it’s okay to give your brain a break.
References:
[1] https://www.bustle.com/wellness/ways-nostalgia-changes-your-brain-according-to-science-12062453