Finding Comfort In Cringe

Can't stop watching reels on Instagram or that one show that everybody else hates? You are not the only one. Most of us secretly have that one show that's our guilty pleasure. But what makes cringe-watching such a phenomenon?

- Ananya Swaroop

"Yet another season?" I screamed as my friend scowled that Koffee With Karan (KWK) has gotten renewed for the eighth season. We collectively cringed even at the thought of it. But for me, it was more of peer pressure. In my head, I was jumping with excitement. Yes, KWK is a mindless show. But the satisfaction that one gets after knowing that their favourite celebrity's dating life is as trash as theirs, or knowing that these drop-dead-gorgeous humans also struggle with weight issues and diet plans, is unmatchable.

And Johar is aware of what makes his show a talking point season after season. "...I know, just like my movies, as a filmmaker, I'm not taken really seriously by the intellectuals, and even people who watch television will find this a guilty pleasure. Everyone will watch it but they will criticise," Johar had said in an interview while talking about his show.

One of the major reasons why people love to watch cringe content is because it's easier to see someone in an embarrassing situation than to be in one. Also, after the initial laughs, one feels a certain empathy towards a person who has landed themselves in such an awkward situation. By watching people at their worst or struggle with worst-case scenarios on screen, not only does it make the content relatable but also, by realising the cringe quotient of the reactions, somewhere equips one to handle or avoid similar situations/reactions.

"A really good way for me to unwind is by binge-watching Jersey Shore (20092012). The housemates are always doing something stupid, and it's just comforting to know that somewhere, someone is absurd enough to be on this show and is okay with embarrassing oneself by putting themselves in such weird situations," says Apoorv Singh, 28.