There are few hobbies as popular as watching a movie. Whether you prefer to Netflix and chill or see a film on the big screen, movies have been a large part of our personal and social lives since they were invented. Let us investigate what truly contributes to their appeal.

Part of Our Evolution

Asking why we love entertainment is similar to asking why we love ice cream and pizza. Just like food that is laden with sugar, salt, or fat, entertainment stimulates our most basic neurological hardware. Even when our ancestors were living in caves, they probably entertained themselves and the people around them with drawings and storytelling.

The way entertainment ties in with our cognitive neuroscience may have contributed to how humans have endured so well through the ages. Stories like ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’ engaged our innate ability to imagine ourselves in other people’s shoes. This understanding, in turn, helped us respond to our environment in a way that enabled our species to survive.

While gene transfer is limited to once per generation, cultural anecdotes and practices can be transferred multiple times. The influence of entertainment can spread much further and faster than genetic evolution. Therefore, songs, plays, stories, and movies have not only amused us but allowed our species to teach each other how to adapt and thrive.

An Appealing Escape

Entertainment is a way for us to escape an overwhelming world. Watching movies allows us to switch off from the troubles that weigh on our minds and be transported to another reality. A light-hearted movie can make us laugh and feel joy; a romantic movie can alleviate loneliness; an exciting movie can get our adrenalin pumping.

Movies allow us to view the world from a variety of different perspectives. You could be an ant, a mob boss, or a superhero. This bevy of characters ignites our imaginations and opens our minds to infinite possibilities and fantasies. Through watching movies, we can learn about foreign cultures, meet intriguing people, and visit far-flung and exotic places.

Our love for movies is very rarely solely about avoiding real life, though. Most movies commonly have themes that reflect reality. Even disaster or post-apocalyptic movies are fundamentally about the traits that make us human. Hence, our attraction toward movies may not be about leaving reality as much as it is about seeking out a clearer picture of humanity.

Representation & Inspiration

While movies are a fantastic avenue for escapism, they can also provide important representation. The characters and circumstances that movies feature often reflect the general sentiments of society at large. As minority performers are getting more airtime and foreign-language movies are entering the mainstream, the world is turning towards diversity.

When ‘Black Panther’ came out in 2018, its proud and purposeful depiction of African culture was a critical moment in cinema. Black people and women were not cast as villains, hoodlums, sidekicks, or accessories. They were strong, intelligent, kind, and powerful characters—things that are obviously true in real life but not shown enough on screen.

For children and teenagers who were watching and for colored people who had been played down in all aspects of society, this representation was inspiring. The same applies to movies about single mums, gay lovers, struggling immigrants, or unruly retirees. Being seen and centered in an honest and positive light reminds them that they matter too.

Whether we believe that art imitates life or life imitates art, there is no doubt that changes on the big screen are a catalyst for the same in the real world. As our movie screens continue to become more diverse and inclusive, we are given hope that we are building a world where people of color and minority groups are seen, respected, and celebrated.

Fantasies Personified

We love movies so much that performers who star in them are frequently elevated to celebrity status. This is a throwback to primitive times when the actors in mythical stories were thought to retain certain traits of the spirits or deities that they portrayed. Today, we still affix larger-than-life personas to performers and treat them as cultural icons.

The cult of personality is nothing new in human society. Millions of people follow Bigg Boss Tamil to learn about the latest movies and celebrity gossip. The characters that actors play are painstakingly designed to be exceptionally attractive or interestingly flawed. So, it is no wonder that many people idolize the actors, even after the movie is over.

Unless you are bordering on obsession, there are no harmful effects to fandom. In fact, being a fan of a performer can increase your enjoyment of their movies. Many movies become box office hits simply because of the famous actors on the billing. With so much ugliness in life, surely a bit of eye candy should not be begrudged.

Movies are fun. They take us away from our everyday lives and remind us that there is a world out there that is much bigger and more fascinating than we think. Movies can inspire us to heroism or make the mundane magical. And that is why we love them.