Watching re-runs of old TV shows can boost your self control

Watching re-runs of your favourite TV show can increase your self control, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Buffalo found that watching re-runs actually has a beneficial impact and can increase your self control, the Daily Mail reported.
Jaye Derrick from the University described watching reruns as providing 'social surrogate restoration'.

Psychologists have long believed that people have limited amounts of impulse control are more likely to give in to temptation later.

In order to stop this from happening and to restore sense of self-control we need to boost ourselves and be in a good mood, which is where re-watching television shows works.
People tend to think of these characters as friends or family, psychologists believe.

In the study, the results showed that people found it easier to maintain their self-control if
they had also been asked to describe a favourite television show during experiments.
The research saw participants taking part in essay writing and word association experiments.

"While watching TV is not the optimal way to boost your mood – physical exercise and reading can have the same effect – it should not be dismissed," Derrick said.

"Television, movies and books can be more than leisure activities; in some cases, they fulfil needs, like restoring self-control, that people are reluctant or unable to fulfil through other means," she was quoted as saying by the paper.

The study was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.