So often, we'll take the latter. But why is that? There's actually a psychological reason why we love returning to our old favorite shows and films again, and again, and again. As explained in a 2012 study from the University of Chicago Press published in the
Journal of Consumer Research, the act of "reconsumption" like rereading a favorite book or sitting in your go-to booth at a local diner can bring humans great pleasure.
In scientific speak, "Unlike the survival motives that drive evolutionary psychology, we find that consumers who chose to repeat hedonic experiences even just once are expressing and affirming their individual experience and its special meanings to them," the study authors, Cristel Antonia Russell and Sidney J. Levy write in their paper's conclusion. "In this way, hedonic volitional reconsumption is in keeping with the etymology of the word 'repetition.' Whether regressive, progressive, reconstructive, relational, or reflective, reconsumption is a petition, a form of actively seeking, a way of asking for something from the past, a way of becoming rather than returning." In short, watching a cherished television show or movie countless times throughout your life is a way to make you happy and comforted.