According to new research from our very own Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, watching films may make you happier and more successful. LOVEFiLM asked Dr Tomas to investigate the effects of film viewing on people’s wellbeing.

He carried out a review of over 1,000 British residents and found that those who watch two movies a week are 15% happier than those who view just one or two a month, regardless of genre. Happiness was measured using the ‘subjective well-being and satisfaction with life scales’. Apparently, even watching as little as one film a week was shown to have a positive effect. The report doesn’t specify whether the setting (home or cinema, TV or computer/iPad/iPod) made any difference.

People who watched more films were also shown to be more successful, with the results showing that individuals experienced 1% higher satisfaction levels in their professional lives for every 10 additional movies watched in a year.

In fact, avid film fans (those who see over 100 movies a year) earn 26% more annually than those who only watch 10-20 films a year. They also had a lower level of career anxiety, suggesting that watching films is a key part of being well-rounded and enjoying a healthy life outside of work.

Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic was also the psychologist who designed our Mortality Predictor. To see how your personality can affect your longevity, click here.

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Written exclusively for The Life Dept | Live Longer | 6 February 2012

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