 |
| Credit: Doha news |
By Victor Ogunyinka
Movies? Apart from laughing away precious time unconsciously with friends, of what good could screening a movie be?
There might never be enough words to explain to someone who had never
visited the cinema how an experience at the cinema could sparkle one’s
day and in fact, improve one’s health, it’s like trying to explain to a
religious fanatic the benefits of drinking beer.
One aspect of life that seeing a movie so much affect direct or
indirectly is the area of psychology. With no drugs or strict line of
therapy, psychologists have hinted on how effective seeing a movie could
improve the health of an individual.
Beyond staring at the big screen in a darkroom, many other things happen within the body system and the movie environment.
Abimbola Adetokunbo, a first time visitor at a cinema in Ibadan
explained that she was wowed by the environment and the calibre of
people present to see the movie. She added that she felt a boost in
self-esteem and had always been at liberty to interact more with people
from all works of life ever since.
Adedamola Adeoye, a psychologist explained that going to a cinema comes
with a whole lot of packages that could benefit one’s health
particularly from the psychological point of view.
“Going to the movies can help with moods especially those with mood
swings. Anytime they’re down and out, they can choose an activity that
brightens them up, going to the cinema is one of such.
“When you watch movies, you meet other people from different backgrounds
and social circle; some who are better than you, those you’re better
than. This kind of information is internalised, thus, preventing
solitude. Just like the information garnered above helps prevent
solitude, your self-esteem is also boosted. You realise you’re at least
better than some people and your condition isn’t as bad as thought,” he
said.
Away from solitudes and movie swings, have you ever thought about facing
your daily tasks with the relaxation and mental frame of mind you
approach a movie with in the cinema?
Fredrick Akinmuyisitan, an account planner described his last experience
in the cinema as thrilling. He added: “I was scheduled to see an
evening movie with a female friend. I had my mind fixed on the time and
got on with my work expressly. The anticipation had a positive effect on
my work rate on the said date and after the movie, I noticed the normal
after work tiredness wasn’t there.
“My nerves were calmed and seeing a good movie after a long work day
with the thrill that comes from watching in 3D screen is just amazing.”
Furthermore, Adeoye, on emphasising more health benefits on a good day
at the cinema said: “It eases tension; the only thing in your mind when
in the cinema is the suspense of the next scene, you live for the
moment. It induces laughter especially when the movie is a comical one;
you laugh and laugh and you know the benefits of laughter cannot be
overemphasised.
“It is also a good way of managing mood swings; great form of
socialising, which helps prevent solitude; an indirect way of boosting
self-esteem. When you go to see movies, you’re in a state of euphoria, a
world of pure fun where you simply forget or at least, reduce all
worries at the moment would do your body a whole lot of good.”
But critically, experts may highlight one thousand and one reasons why
going to the cinema should be bookmarked in our to-do list, but one fact
remains undisputable, regular visit to the cinema could induce
addiction and sometimes trigger violence, sadly so.
Going to the cinema is one of those exercises that a high level of discipline is required so as not to cross the ‘excess mark’.
Experts revealed that a great day at the cinema could lead to another
and inadvertently lead to some degree of addiction, truancy, late night
out and other vices.
Also, researchers hinted that some movies have been implicated in
people’s disposition to crime, death, sex, violence, drug abuse and so
on. Anytime such issues form the theme of a movie, they must be resolved
to clearly show that crime doesn’t pay, so as to deter the audience
from taking up such act in real life.
Adeoye concluded that no research is ever conclusive or a total end as
the conclusion of one opens up new research questions for another. “The
point is watching movies and playing computer games can be addictive.
“This is where moderation comes in; any activity that’ll be done must be
done without prejudice to one’s mental and psychological balance.”
