Christmas is near once again as we’re fastly approaching Thanksgiving Day 2019. Our favorite part of the holiday season, the holiday movies! When watching classics like Miracle on 34th Street and A Christmas Story, the season always feels too short. But just as the year before, in a few months the holidays and the movies will be over till Christmas in July starts up on the Hallmark Channel. Here’s a shocker tho, studies show watching Christmas movies all year round can be a benefit to your health!
You might be tired of seeing the 2003 Christmas classic Elf on your screen every night, but research has shown that these types of films are proven to help people be healthier and live longer. So when January 1st comes around there’s no need to pack up the films.
Christmas Movies Year-Round Can Benefit Health
A psychologist confirmed that Christmas movies release “feel-good” hormones. “It does create that neurological shift that can produce happiness. I think anything that takes us out of our normal habituation, the normal day in, day out … signals our senses, and then our senses measure if it’s pleasing or not. Christmas decorating will spike dopamine, a feel-good hormone,” she explains.
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In part with producing levels of happiness, it can also help reduce stress and anxiety. Anything you can do to boost your mood these days is worth trying.
Additionally, Christmas movies also promote positivity and inspiration, which is why Christmas movies are often (and not surprisingly) shown in elementary school to provide children with wholesome content. Since all Christmas movies have a happy ending, it gives children a positive feeling that everything in life will turn out okay.
With this considered, it’s no surprise that they also are proven to strengthen your relationships with just about anyone. Your spouse, child, or friend will undeniably feel closer to you after watching a good Christmas classic due to the focus on family values and close bonds.
Let’s not forget that Christmas movies often invoke a feeling of nostalgia. They remind you of the good times, especially of the magic of Christmas in your childhood. No matter what your tradition was/is at Christmastime, the magic doesn’t have to come back only once a year if you keep it alive via Christmas movies!
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One of the best parts of revisiting Christmas movies is piecing together all of the best parts of the film and slowly jogging your memory as the movie progresses. This is what proves that Christmas movies can help improve your memory and stimulate your brain!
