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Life

16th Apr 2024

Going to the cinema on your own is good for you, researchers claim

Kat O'Connor

Heading to the pictures alone is a great form of self-care

Spending time on your own is a great way to build confidence and to embrace self-love. Some people love trying different restaurants, going for a hike, or even heading to their local nail salon but there’s one thing that beats them all for me – heading to the cinema alone.

It’s relatively affordable and quiet and you can really switch off from the world for a couple of hours.

Whenever I need to step off the world for a little while, I often head to my local cinema.

There’s something so soothing about being in the cinema alone because you switch off completely and spend the next few hours focusing on the story on the screen.

Going to the cinema alone is something I’ve been doing for years and it was scary at first, especially because I live with anxiety, but the more I went, the more I enjoyed it.

A study even discovered that it can improve your mental well-being.

Research in the Journal of Consumer Research found that going to the cinema is an ‘enriching and rewarding experience for individuals’.

The team said that heading to the cinema is far better for you than staying at home binge-watching a series.

They said: “The more lonely and depressed the study participants were, the more likely they were to binge-watch TV.”

Spending time alone can often help boost your self-worth, as well as your confidence. Heading to the cinema alone can often give you a boosted sense of independence.

Sitting in the cinema and watching the latest Glen Powell rom-com or an Oscar-nominated flick is one of my favourite forms of self-care and something you should really try at least once.

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