Sitting in front of the television screen, wondering what to watch next, one may feel a spontaneous desire to skip past the new programs available and revisit an early 2000s Disney show or 90s cartoon movie. By impulse, one may choose a classic movie or TV show over new releases. While this feeling may seem to stem from simple curiosity, there are deeper psychological reasons driving such behavior. 

  Oftentimes, the programs one chooses to rewatch are those that once gave comfort. For example, the 90s show “Friends” could remind people of their youth and watching it with their families. 

  According to nih.gov the brain takes our most meaningful experiences and ties all the contextual information to the memory. This means that people have affective memories or ones that are strongly connected to a specific emotion to the emotional context as well as the sensory imprints of the event. 

  These nostalgic movies have allowed people who watched the same shows as kids to connect and look back on the show and any random memories of scenes or lines that have stayed in our long-term memory.  

  Memories of these scenes can give a small push for strangers to turn into friends. With favorite childhood shows, it can lead to friendships with many others who also enjoyed the show.

  When coming across someone who enjoyed the same childhood show, there is a much higher chance to like them as a person due to the similarity.  

  Meeting people who share our attitudes makes us feel more confident in our own attitudes about the world. If someone loved “Kim Possible,” meeting another fan shows them that loving the show is okay, and maybe even a virtue.   

  By staying connected to the optimism and hope of our youth, while maintaining a more mature perspective, we can have moments full of wonder and hope while being able to understand the things going on around us.