Film is not just a means to pass the time. Film is actually a great exercise for the brain, which can help both our intellectual and mental health. A quality film that you can watch on 123hd can be both a little vacation for your mind and beneficial in various ways.
The Power of the Silver Screen
Movies whisk us and sweep us away into another world through their storytelling. That little escape can be great for our well-being. While we’re inside a movie, we forget our daily worries. This mental holiday removes worry and stress, acting as an instant on/off switch for the mind.
Emotional Rollercoasters and Empathy
Great movies always make us experience a range of emotions: from happiness and sadness to fear and triumph. Experiencing these from the safety of our seat is actually healthy, as it makes us aware and more sensitive to our own feelings. More significantly than that, experiencing the journey of a character makes us walk a mile in their shoes. This act is the very essence of empathy. As we can relate to characters of other walks of life or facing special issues, we naturally get tolerant and kind towards people in our own lives. This broadened vision is a great psychological stimulator. It also makes us better human beings.
Intellectual Advantages of Watching Films
No less mental are the benefits of watching films, but rather intellectual too. Films, especially those based on real historical events or philosophical concepts, can be great teachers.
Learning and Enlargement of Worldview
Films are a simple means of learning history, science, and other cultures without ever having a textbook open. A movie about a historical time, for instance, allows one to live through that period, so it is more likely to understand and recall than by reading. And films that have been filmed in foreign countries expose us to new cultures and lifestyles. It exposes us to all and makes us all the wiser in the world, and tests our prejudices. It makes us tolerant thinkers.
Improving Critical Thinking
When we have a twist, plot, or complex moral problem in a film, our brains are working. We try to predict the conclusion, solve the characters’ motives, or even figure out what an open-ended scene means. This active thinking is a great exercise in critical thinking and problem-solving. Subsequently, when we are talking about the movie with pals, these skills are even finer because we clarify our versions and listen to other people’s ideas.
Specific Examples of Films and Their Benefits
There are certain films that are quite effective at providing intellectual and mental stimulation.
Below are some specific examples:
“The Social Network” (2010): Intellectual Stimulation
This is the tale of the Facebook beginnings. It’s a great example of how films can deconstruct great concepts and then give them to us in an entertaining, frantic manner. Watching it, we are not merely entertained but see a glimpse into entrepreneurship, intellectual property wars, and ambition psychology. It questions the ethics of technology and what drives innovation. It’s a compelling movie that makes one want to discuss modern life.
“Inside Out” (2015): Emotional Literacy
This animated movie is a work of art, a simple description of complicated emotions. The characters truly are five different emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust—living in a girl’s mind. It is a precious moral that the film teaches: all emotions are necessary and beneficial, including grief. It makes the emotions more suitable for children and adults, presenting a convenient vocabulary with which to explain complicated states of mind, and therefore being useful to our emotional literacy.
“Slumdog Millionaire” (2008): Empathy and Worldview
The movie is an effective empathy builder and worldview improver. The movie narrates the thrilling story of an Indian slum kid who surfaces as a contestant on a television quiz program. Through his flashbacks, we feel the tough life that he has led. It costs us an experience of a lifetime a world removed from the life experience of most Western audiences, and it makes us accept toughness, poverty, and hope. It heightens our awareness of universal struggles and human resilience.
Making Movies Count
To watch movies to the maximum, try to be an active viewer. Do not watch passively; question why the director did that or this. Question yourself: Why did that actor do that? What is it for?
Movies are a hassle-free, easy way to spend some time with yourself and your feelings. So the next time you’re sitting around watching a movie, don’t just think you’re wasting your time. You’re doing something low-effort, high-return that makes you a more thoughtful, understanding, and mentally acute person. Treat yourself to your next mental gym session, go ahead!
