Watching Christmas movies before thanksgiving makes people happier

Question

I chose to factcheck the claim: "Watching Christmas Movies before Thanksgiving makes people happier." I have found that this topic can be a very controversial topic for some. I would argue that watching Christmas movies makes people happier. After all the emotions and fun from Halloween, we wind down in preparation for Thanksgiving. With this window there isn't that much time between Halloween and Thanksgiving, but a decent gap between Halloween and Christmas. With that, although we celebrate for Thanksgiving, we don't necessarily celebrate like we do for Christmas. Many people understanding that the Christmas season is coming up, we like to get into the holiday spirit early. I believe that it can bring joy to have something to celebrate for so long. Fielding Graduate University did a study stating that " Holiday movies can boost mood and relieve symptoms of depression by providing an escape from daily stressors and increasing perspective-taking. They are heart-healthy, reducing stress hormones like cortisol that can damage the cardiovascular and immune systems."  All in all I believe that understanding the positive light placed on Christmas helps people feel a sense of cheer within the correlation of the holiday, making people who watch Christmas movies before Thanksgiving feel happier. 

Comments

This is an extremely thorough assessment on your claim with a multitude of detail! This is the best factcheck i've seen yet! Your inclusion of an edu source was amazing and I am so glad someone finally brought up this controversial topic!

Answer 1

This is a fun topic! I reviewed the article you linked and it references several reliable studies and is written by an author who has a doctorate in media psychology, so I would argue that she is qualified to speak on the subject. However, your claim specifies that watching xmas movies before Thanksgiving makes people happier, which communicates there is a difference from watching them after the holiday which is not mentioned at all in your article. So your claim is partially unanswered by your source because yes, they wrote that watching holiday themed movies improves mood, decreases stress, and can increase time spent with family, but they didn't say anything about celebrating the holiday before vs after Thanksgiving. I would specify your argument on that more in your next fact check!

Comments

I think that was an amazing catch in the flaw of their statement. Noticing that and calling attention to it helps in future fact checks because it draws attention to many people to make sure they are being concise in their sources and statements.