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Claudiu Pop is a nutritionist, medical writer, journalist, and the founder of Unfold Today. He also has Master level studies in social psychology, which has helped him cover mental health topics.
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Regarded by many people as just a form of entertainment for children, animated movies can bring incredible benefits to your mental health and sharpness.
Watching animations is a very efficient way of escaping even from your most depressed state. From being a source for infinite creativity to a laughter trigger in your daily life, this activity is a must-have in your mind relaxation arsenal.
But enough with the talk. Let’s dive right into the beautiful universe of animated movies and find out the numerous benefits of watching them.
Whenever you feel dry on your creative side, turn on an animated movie. It’s a shot in the arm. It can’t be any other way, given animations’ power of taking you by the hand into whole other worlds.
The multitude of colors, flooding the screens whenever you hit play, are also very likely to stimulate a lazy brain and trigger your inner genius.
Besides this, our eyes are addicted to motion and our minds are engaged every time we see action and movement.
Therefore, watching an animated movie with a captivating storyline is the perfect way to jumpstart your creative neurons for daily tasks like designing a layout for a bullet journal weekly spread. Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, or Zootopia are some great choices.
You can also watch animated movies to get inspired by some cute lines that come useful when you're looking for captions to go with your memories or social media posts. We included such quotes from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Finding Dory in our list of family memory quotes.
TIP: Another excellent way to wake up your creative sense is to look at art. Check our 9 Reasons To Buy Art for Your Home.
You can use animated movies to escape from any negative feelings you may experience. This is one of the best benefits of watching animated movies.
Poor mental health will always have a big negative impact on your life. So, let characters like Winnie The Pooh and the Toy Story figurines tell you that everything will be ok.
Feelings of depression and anxiety will be greatly diminished. You will have the opportunity to leave your real-life problems aside and concentrate on the characters’ adventures.
“Kids’ cartoons can be a support treatment because they incorporate themes like community order, friendship, family, teamwork, that good always wins over evil, and that the sun will always come out tomorrow,”
“They can help restore optimism and give someone a break from worrying or feeling sad, all of which can elevate [your] mood.”
Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a New York-based psychotherapist, told Vice
Jokes and witty remarks can be found everywhere in an animated movie, so get ready to throw in some smiles. In the end, laughter is the best medicine for when you’re feeling down. So don’t ever hesitate to turn on your funniest animation movie.
You may have noticed that you understand animations differently than you did in childhood. But that doesn’t mean you’re too old for them.
It’s just an opportunity to look at them from a different perspective. So don’t say animated movies are not for you. They can inspire in a way no other movie has.
Did we mention that watching animations is a good reason to bring the family together, too?
You can’t watch an animated movie without showing a smile, dropping a tear, or falling in love with one of the characters.
Creators can perfectly translate their vision while making an animated production. There are no actors, stuntmen, or any variables in the way.
Therefore, there are no obstacles that could distort what directors have in mind.
Here are a few animations that will guide you through all kinds of emotions. You will experience everything, from sadness and nostalgia to happiness and hopefulness.
Every good animated movie has at least one moral you can learn something from. And it doesn’t matter whether you are a child or an adult. Here are a few life lessons you can surely learn from:
Moreover, kids of all ages can look up to heroes and their interior values shown across all kinds of adventures. As a result, these values will reflect later in children’s adulthood.
For example, let’s take Frozen. Watching the movie and seeing Anna trying to save Elsa, we can learn about friendship, the power of love, kindness, and many more.
Aside from the children-targeted animations that teach the alphabet or simple math operations, adults have plenty of productions to learn from. Watching animated movies improves vocabulary and can help you learn a second language easier.
TIP: If you are learning Japanese, be sure to take a look at anime series like Naruto, Bleach, or anything that appeals to your preferences.
To summarize, every time you feel down, lack creativity, or just need something that’s both fun and educative, animated movies should be one of your top choices.
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Mental Health
Animated movies are the best thing that ever happened. I enjoy watching it as much as I enjoy eating food. The best part of it all is when I sing along with the characters. I learn a great deal from them as well when it comes to good manners. Whenever I am sad, the animation movie seems like a good therapy.
You sound like a true fan of animated movies, Fejiro! I'm glad that you learned to reap the benefits of watching them.
Hi Claudiu!
I was wondering if you were an expert on this matter, please let me know. Also, do you have any other sources?
Sjoerd
Hello Sjoerd!
I researched quite a lot on the subject of animated movies. You can usually find all the sources I use in the articles I write. I can point you out to some scientific articles, if interested. Just let me know.