“Ek ajeeb sa dar lag raha tha, bechani si, jaise kuchh galat ho raha ho, jaise koi train chhot rahi ho”
Says Geet as she explains her confused situation to Aditya in the film Jab, We Met. Jab We Met is one of my comfort movies and the list goes on. And, it’s not just me, I know of a lot of who love watching this and other such movies again and again, especially when they feel low. And, movies are not the only kind of content that is consumed by people on a loop, there are songs, shows and more. People often call it a ‘comfort show’, ‘comfort movie’, ‘comfort song’, I would like to call them ‘comfort content’.
Comfort Genres
Comfort Content is the kind of content that as the name suggests, comforts you. The genre of this content can be any according to whatever comforts the person consuming it, but mostly it is some feel-good emotion. The prominent genres which come under this kind of content are Romantic, Comedy, Drama or Family Oriented films/shows/ songs and sometimes it’s all in one.
At times the comfort genre can also be something that gives the mind of the person watching a space where they can imagine something that is unimaginable. This might range from genres like fantasy, science fiction, horror or anything super natural.
And Why So?
I haven’t studied psychology, so, I can’t state the exact phenomenon that occurs in our brain as we consume such content that makes us feel good. I can rather talk about why it happens from the perspective of someone who has experienced it.
My experience and some of the articles I have read suggest that this happens because we can see in these films, movies or songs something we haven’t experienced ourselves.
We mostly consume this content when we feel low as at that time, we want to watch something that ends well. Romantic, Drama, and Comedy, are genres that are more likely to end on a happy note, therefore, watching things finally settle down makes us feel if that is possible for them maybe it’s for us as well. This kind of content gives us faith that tells us to keep going because it is eventually going to end well. Because, if it hasn’t ended well, it’s not the end yet (Om Shanti Om reference).
Coming to the other comforting genres like fantasy sci-fi and so on and why do they comfort us. The answer according to my experience is again, the fact that it shows us something we would never have imagined to happen in real life. Superheroes, flying machines, magic spells, enormous creatures, a multiverse and all such exciting concepts which we want to be true knowing they can’t be. But when we get to see it for a while, we feel good.
Comfort Suggestions
My suggestions for a feel-good/ comfort content would be
Movies:
- Jab We Met- Story of a young enthusiastic go with the flow kind of girl and a guy who tries to find a reason for everything from love to life and how they eventually fall in love.
- Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara- Three childhood friends go on a trip to Spain for the bachelorette of one of them and find answers to a lot of questions they had from life, people around them and themselves.
Series:
- Tripling- Three siblings go on a road trip for some or the other reason eventually end up understanding more about each other.
Song:
- Matargasthi- May or may not hold a lot of meaning to it but, as the name suggests it is one song that helps me go in the zone of ‘Matargasthi’ or full-on fun.
- Phir Se Udd Chala- This song reminds me of all the dreams and ambitions I have in my life and all that I want to fulfil.
A Comforting Conclusion
The comfort content, in the end, does not just comfort the person. It takes away all kinds of hurtful feelings and leaves you motivated to start anew.
Edited By: Khushi Thakur
Published By: Bhavya Dedhia
