“As a mental health therapist, I often recommend nostalgia, watching old shows or listening to old songs, to help clients with anxiety, overthinking or emotional disconnection,” she tells GLAMOUR. “There’s something deeply regulating about returning to a time that felt simpler, even if it wasn’t perfect. A familiar theme tune or character can spark a sense of safety, especially when life feels fast, uncertain, or overwhelming.
“These memories act like emotional anchors – helping the nervous system settle. That’s why reboots feel so soothing. They remind us of who we were when we first watched them, not just the storyline, but the feelings.
“In the therapy room, I see how people are craving something that reminds them of who they were before constant notifications and pressure to keep up. Life has changed so dramatically in the last 20 to 30 years, it’s easy to forget how freeing it once felt to be bored, to watch something slowly unfold, to not always be available.”
Dr Krystine Batcho, a professor of psychology and nostalgia expert, tells GLAMOUR that the attraction to reboots through our nostalgia is an attempt at control in a rapidly changing society by seizing hold of things we previously loved and felt comfortable around. Through “nostalgic reminiscence”, we are reliving the best of times, which helps us to “rekindle hope for better times ahead”.
“Reboots and revivals of films, TV shows, music and fashion are a great help in enhancing the benefits of nostalgic experience,” she says, giving social connectedness and feelings of belonging as examples of such benefits. “By reviving the past in more vibrant ways, film and TV intensifies the emotional and social benefits of memories.”
So whether they remind us of sleepovers, family Christmases, or perhaps even an old love or friendship, reboots align perfectly with – and reinforce – our nostalgia. Not because they’re necessarily revolutionary, Oscar-winning or (obviously) original, but because they ground us in precious memories of something we’ve loved previously. And that’s so valuable and powerful.
“In a world that feels uncertain and overstimulating, nostalgia offers something rare: emotional familiarity,” Shelly says. “And in many ways, that’s what we’re all really reaching for.”
