Comfort Stories: Why People Return to Familiar Films During Crises

A shield against stress: why we're drawn to familiar stories.

During periods of crisis or emotional exhaustion, audiences often return to already-familiar films and shows. These can be romance stories, sitcoms, or beloved franchises — it doesn't matter, since in these moments, film becomes a 'safe space' to rest from the chaos of reality.

Why audiences keep choosing the same stories during periods of instability — read on in this DeTalks analysis.

The Psychology of the Viewer: How 'Comfort Movies' Work

Psychology has a concept called the 'comfort movie' — watching familiar content as a form of self-regulation. When a person already knows the plot, the characters, and the ending, the brain isn't stuck in a state of constant alertness.

Familiar stories lower stress levels, create an illusion of predictability, and give a sense of stability. While watching, there are no surprises, no dangerous plot twists, and no need to stay emotionally 'braced.'

Psychologists explain this tendency as a need for safety: during difficult periods, the brain avoids excess stimulation and seeks out familiar patterns. That's exactly why it more often gravitates toward stories where conflicts get resolved and chaos has clear boundaries.

Psychotherapist Liz Richie has described a marked rise in interest in and attachment to comfort television, especially during times of anxiety or stress, she says, adding that the appeal of rewatching comfort shows essentially comes down to familiarity

— letting yourself 'step outside your world' while still knowing exactly what's happening, the psychotherapist notes.

Romance stories with happy endings or episodic shows create an illusion of stability. Even the dramatic events within them follow a logic that sharply contrasts with real life, where crises often have no clear cause or quick resolution.

How Crises Reshape Genre Preferences

During periods of social upheaval, war, and instability, audience demand shifts too, including genre preferences in film and TV.

Studies of media consumption show that during periods of heightened anxiety, people tend to avoid content with high tension and uncertainty, preferring predictable narratives and familiar formats.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, streaming platforms recorded a sharp rise in views for sitcoms and romantic comedies. In particular, Friends and The Office made lists of the most popular content in various countries, despite having ended years earlier.

Analysts explained this by pointing to the episodic structure and lack of serious threats in the plot, which lower the emotional load on viewers. Romance stories, meanwhile, serve a compensatory function during crises, offering a model of a world where closeness, support, and emotional stability are still possible.

PR professional Rashi Khanna, based in Dubai, described it as an escape — after a long day, she'd rather lose herself in a romantic comedy than watch a tense crime thriller, since romantic shows and films simply make you feel good, warm, and comfortable, she says.

At the same time, interest in superhero franchises and adventure films is also growing.

Psychologists link this to a need for control and clear moral structure. In these stories, the threat is personified, and the line between good and evil is sharply drawn. In reality, where events often feel unpredictable, stories like these offer a symbolic way of putting fear in order.

'Comfort Movies' for an Evening Watch

Bridgerton: Romance, Intrigue, and a Predictable Emotional Structure

The series "Bridgerton" shows early 19th-century London, where high society strictly follows social rules and marriage conventions. Its main focus is on the young members of the Bridgerton family, their romances, intrigues, and struggle for personal happiness under society's expectations.

Season one's central storyline is the romance between Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke, Simon Basset, who initially resists the obligations of marriage. Their relationship develops through a series of misunderstandings, social intrigue, and inner conflict, reflecting both the characters' personal emotions and the pressure of outside circumstances.

Conflicts like these create a controlled emotional space: the audience feels tension, but it has clear boundaries and always leads to a morally clear resolution.

The show also actively uses symbolic and emotional patterns familiar to audiences: characters falling in love, family conflicts, high-society intrigue, and a happy ending.

Friends: A Series as an Emotional Refuge

The series "Friends" is considered one of the most striking examples of 'comfort viewing' content in culture. Its popularity during moments of crisis is explained not just by nostalgia, but by the show's structure itself.

Friends centers on six close friends whose lives consist of everyday struggles, romantic setbacks, and career searches. The show's conflicts stay small in scale: arguments get resolved quickly, mistakes don't have irreversible consequences, and key relationships stay stable. This creates a sense of a world where problems never spiral out of control.

The episodic structure also plays a role. Each episode has its own self-contained story, letting viewers join in without needing to emotionally 'commit' for a long stretch. Even serious themes — breakups, financial struggles, or the fear of growing up — are handled with humor and don't disrupt the overall sense of safety.

The show's setting also serves a purpose. Monica's apartment and the coffee shop Central Perk become symbols of stability — places the characters can always return to.

One fan of the show described the familiar jokes, beloved characters, and their reactions as creating a feeling that they're your own friends, calling it deeply reassuring when real relationships feel complicated, shares one fan of the show.

Marvel: Familiar Heroes in a World of Chaos

Marvel films also often serve as a form of comfort viewing for audiences during periods of stress and uncertainty.

One example is "Avengers: Endgame". The film brings together familiar heroes — Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Black Widow — in a final battle against Thanos, who, in the previous film, "Avengers: Infinity War", wiped out half the universe's population.

The story begins with a sense of loss and despair: the heroes are forced to come to terms with the consequences of defeat. From there, the plot unfolds as a journey through time and space — the characters revisit key moments from their past to gather the Infinity Stones and undo the chaos.

The film's climax delivers an epic battle of good versus evil, in which the heroes display not just physical strength, but personal courage and a capacity for self-sacrifice. Despite the epic battles and global stakes, the story ends with good triumphant and balance restored.