Essay Sample on Adults Watching Cartoons: Benefits Beyond Entertainment

Introduction

There have been controversial global perceptions since the advent of cartoons that only the immature can watch them. This is false as every person has their individual benefits from which they can gain from watching cartoons. While some are entertaining, adults could watch them and learn some indirect lessons. Many critics term cartoons such as anime, Rick and Morty, BoJack Horseman, and more as childish and associate them with matters that could infantilize the minds of adults. The advantage of being an adult is that one is free to decide on what to watch and for what intended purpose. Watching cartoons does not define an adult but only contributes to multiple advantages such as momentary distraction from psychological issues, encouraging support treatment, enhancing social awareness, and spreading values.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Watching cartoons encourages a momentary distraction from psychological issues such as depression. Setting a time to watch cartoons encourages self-care. For instance, Tom and Jerry are supporting in times of turmoil. Sometimes one would unconsciously find themselves watching cartoons for self-medication (Chen et al. 478). Many people would not understand that adults who watch cartoons could be using it as a coping mechanism. Almost every adult has been through chronic worrying periods and moments of stress and depression (Biddiss et al., 446). In such cases, some have reacted through behavioral activation to treat related mood disorders. Watching cartoons means increasing pleasure activities; hence, a good coping mechanism to depressing situations. Besides Tom and Jerry, the Penguins take one to a new environment without worries about money or heart-wrenching relationships that make one worthless. Adults who see animals navigate basic human issues of loneliness and conflict let them cope with nuanced realities. Therefore, watching cartoons allows one to resolve human emotions that are troubling to settle, such as sadness.

Besides dissociating one with psychological problems, cartoons are also a means to support treatment. Adults who watch kids' comics learn more about community order, family, teamwork, and friendship (Munir 14). Almost any cartoon as a lesson that the good always surpasses and outweighs the evil. Therefore, cartoons encourage the restoration of optimism and give someone a break from worrying too much by enhancing their relationships. Besides, cartoons teach higher frustration tolerance (Hollocks et al. 34). As a result, adult problem-solving abilities are encouraged. In that way, cartoons indirectly contribute to improving life circumstances. People grasp the means to an end and also get challenged by the way fictitious characters tackle real-world issues. It is entertaining but still educative how character rams into a wall, and people laugh, yet some other character in live-action is winced on. Such laughter is also therapeutic by itself as it is a mature defense mechanism.

Adults who watch cartoons are also more socially aware compared to their counterparts who critic the shows. Most of the programs are psychologically supported, and the information can be translated easily into the real world. Almost every cartoon has a happy ending that instills confidence in the minds of the adults behind the screens. Cartoons also assist in developing the quality of focusing the mind. In that way, those who watch them can concentrate their attention on them quickly. Additionally, adults who watch cartoons have their vocabulary improved as well as the quality of their speech (Munir 15). By watching educational cartoons, adults can enhance their linguistic skills. In the social domain, adults who have learned from cartoons can differentiate between the right and the wrong more effectively compared to those who critic them. Additionally, cartoons teach adults how to share with others in their social circle, even though funnily and humorously.

Cartoons are also a means of spreading values. Since they are audio-visual products, cartoons are free from propaganda of matters such as violence and war. Animations such as Finding Nemo and Zootopia show how missions are carried out successfully in the best way. Additionally, the cartoons also show the relationships there are between people with abilities and the healthy people in the same society. For instance, Zootopia that encompasses people with different abilities, was created during a refugee crisis to ensure that the community is free from anti-racist xenophobia. Dragon Ball Z was another cartoon that led to self-motivation and confidence to deal with individual fear while facing adversity. The moral values created by the cartoon are meant to serve the individuals behind the screens for a lifetime (Choi et al. 265). Cartoons have many other advantages on adults, such as issuing direct messages through veracity, enhancing good memories, and encouraging boundlessness.

Conclusion

Cartoons are not childish and do not infantilize the human mind as they encourage a momentary distraction from troubling psychological problems, enhance support treatment, promote social awareness, and instill individual values. Cartoons have been criticized for their inability to meet adult content and associated with the immature. However, there are many just a few known secrets to watching cartoons. Tom and Jerry, Penguins, Finding Nemo, Zootopia, Dragon Ball Z are only among the few cartoons that positively impact adult life. Those who watch cartoons can cope with life easily by encouraging themselves through pleasure. They may also have more exceptional problem-solving abilities and have some other skills, such as linguistic skills and vocabularies advanced. Besides, cartoons enhance good morals for a lifetime. Therefore, the benefits associated with watching cartoons counter almost any criticism made on them.

Works Cited

Biddiss, Elaine, et al. "The effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing anxiety in health care waiting for spaces: a systematic review of randomized and nonrandomized trials." Anesthesia & Analgesia, vol. 119, no. 2, 2014, pp. 433-448., doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000000294

Chen, Chien-Hsu, et al. "Augmented reality-based video-modeling storybook of nonverbal facial cues for children with autism spectrum disorder to improve their perceptions and judgments of facial expressions and emotions." Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 55, 2016, pp. 477-485., doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.033

Choi, Euichang, et al. "The influence of a sports mentoring program on children's life skills development." Journal of Physical Education and Sport, vol. 15, no. 2, 2015, 264-272., doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.033

Hollocks, Matthew J., et al. "Differences in HPA-axis and heart rate responsiveness to psychosocial stress in children with autism spectrum disorders with and without co-morbid anxiety." Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 46, 2014, 32-45., doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.04.004

Munir, Fathul. "The effectiveness of teaching vocabulary by using cartoon film toward vocabulary mastery of EFL students." Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, vol. 1, no. 1, 2016, pp. 13-37., doi:10.21462/jeltl.v1i1.20