Watching Studio Ghibli Films Can Improve Your Mental Health
Researchers measured participants' feelings after watching films like ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ and ‘Kiki's Delivery Service.’
Screenshot from the trailer for 'My Neighbor Tortoro.'
Some good news for gamers and fans of anime! According to a study published in JMIR Serious Games, young people can significantly improve their overall happiness and sense of purpose in life by playing the open-world video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and watching Studio Ghibli films.
The study was led by researchers from Imperial College London, Kyushu Sangyo University, and Georgia State University. The exploratory randomized controlled study—titled "Effects of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Studio Ghibli Films on Young People's Sense of Exploration, Calm, Mastery and Skill, Purpose and Meaning, and Overall Happiness in Life: Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study” — involved 518 postgraduate students.
“The current study reveals a fascinating finding: Immersing oneself in the exploratory freedom of Breath of the Wild and the mindful wonder of Studio Ghibli films can actively nurture essential human capacities — exploration, tranquility, purpose-finding, and happiness — and, thus, offer valuable pathways to enhance everyday well-being," says author Andreas B. Eisingerich.
Those who took part in the study were randomly assigned to play Zelda or not and to either watch nostalgic Studio Ghibli films like My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki's Delivery Service or not.
Researchers measured feelings of exploration, calm, skill mastery, purpose, and life happiness.
