Researchers have shown in the past that positive social interactions can restore depleted willpower. But social situations can also be fraught with negative interactions that can have a depleting effect. Thinking and writing about a favorite television show seems to engage the same mechanism as positive social interactions, without the negative effects.
So, a little nostalgic TV is ok.
Derrick was able to establish that those who exerted “effortful self-control” on day one, then interacted with a “familiar fictional world” on day two, had lower “negative mood” on day three than those who followed up their “effortful self-control” with “novel fictional worlds” or “escapism.”
So how can this research be used in real life? The findings suggest that if you’re facing a task that requires a lot of self-control — like starting a new routine, quitting smoking or dealing with a difficult situation at work — you’ll feel better and have more willpower if you choose re-watching or re-reading favorite books than if you pick up new ones [emphasis added]. Seeing as your brain associates this stimulus with social interaction maybe it would be best to pick your favorite shows with ensembles. Alternatively, you can use this study to justify extensive DVD collections, because you’ll never know when you need a social surrogate pick-me-up.