#OddlySatisfying: Associations Between Repetitious Videos and The Satisfaction Centers of the Brain

by Harsimar Kang, Contributing Author

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Why are kids hooked on cleaning videos for anxiety relief?

Ever heard of pimple-popping? What about the content creator AuriKateriina, a cleaner who cleans the homes of hoarders? Well, your children probably have! What may seem like strange and temporarily trendy videos on social media are actually becoming a mainstay category in content creation. #Oddlysatisfying videos in action when cleaning, organizing, or clearing out items have taken TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram by storm. But why? Well, these videos of seemingly disgusting amounts of cleaning (that are especially ironic if your kids don’t ever like to clean themselves), may actually be very satisfying and provide anxiety relief. 

There have been a surprising number of theories as to the mechanisms behind these obsessions. One is that kids enjoy familiarity and predictability. While there are elements of a pimple popping video that are unique – “will he be able to get the blackhead out in one go?”– the videos all follow the same structure and have a sense of repetition, which creates a reliable sense of expectation. As expectation is met, viewers then feel in control of their digital space. There is also a sense of satisfaction, courtesy of some healthy dopamine release, when predictions on the outcomes of a video prove to be accurate. Given the sheer amount of new information child and adolescent brains are processing, this provides a sense of comfort and security in an otherwise chaotic external environment. 

The phenomenon is similar to adults who rewatch familiar TV shows, such as Friends or The Office. Data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) gives us a closer biological correlation as well. One study in 2021 from the journal Behavioral Brain Research showed videos of pimple-popping to subjects under fMRI and found increased patterns of activity in the areas of the brain that code for pleasure and aversion (nucleus accumbens and insula). These portions of the brain often lead to repetitive reward seeking behavior. So the next time your kid is scrolling through their 15th power-washing video, know that the video may be actually soothing different areas of their young brain. 

References

1. Bornstein, R. F., & D’agostino, P. R. (1992). Stimulus recognition and the mere exposure effect. Journal of personality and social psychology, 63(4), 545.

2. Derrick, J. L. (2012). Energized by Television. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(3), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612454889

3. Wabnegger, A., Höfler, C., Zussner, T., Freudenthaler, H. H., & Schienle, A. (2021). Enjoyment of watching pimple popping videos: An fMRI investigation. Behavioural Brain Research, 402, 113129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113129