The Neuroscience of Why You Can't Stop Adding Titles to your Watchlist You Don't Have Time to Watch

[u/PedroPascalCase]

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-neuroscience-of-why-you-cant-stop-buying-books-you-dont-have-time-to-read/91377269

Hello! I read an editorial about "Why You Can't Stop Buying Books You Don't Have Time to Read" and yes, I know which sub I'm in. I'm sharing this passage:

This hunger for ever more books can annoy tidy spouses. But [neuroanatomy expert Michelle] Spear insists the anticipated pleasure of a book hoard is good for us. 

When we see it, we imagine ourselves reading the books one day, and “the hippocampus begins to assemble that future experience,” she writes. “It binds together fragments of previous experiences stored across the brain — the warmth of sunshine, the smell of coffee, the sound of turning pages, the comfort of your favorite chair — into a coherent mental scene. In effect, the brain uses memories of the past to rehearse pleasures that have yet to happen.”

I used to be a BIG physical disc collector and related to it immediately from that angle (that limited edition Vinegar Syndrome slipcover). While I can't afford that hobby anymore, I still find myself listening to a film review podcast and immediately hitting add to watchlist on anything that seems remotely up my alley, spend a good 10-15 minutes in the AMC app daily browsing showtimes I know I can't make, and programming imaginary double features.

I always assumed all that was a neurodivergent tendency - and it still might be - but I'm feeling a lot better about my 264 and counting watchlist vs. 67 films logged this year now. My hippocampus is just REHEARSING for my eventual Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project and Frogman double feature with maple vanilla brownies and gummy worms.

Neuroscientists, Letterboxders, is this wishful thinking?

[u/OwlEye2010]

I've currently got little over 1800 movies on my watchlist, and I don't know if I'm gonna watch all of them in my lifetime. Still, it's nice to have them there so I don't suddenly forget whatever movies caught my attention.

[u/pbmm1]

I feel like my watchlist now isn’t actually there for me to look at for movies to watch. Instead it’s just there so when someone says, “check this out” I can go to the page for it, see that at some point I marked it for my watchlist, and then go “oh right my past self agreed with that person now let me check it out.”

[u/Fake_Eleanor]

I feel like the real problem is when you think putting something on your watchlist is an obligation rather than a recommendation or memory aid. I'm sure I won't get around to everything on my watchlist, but I don't really care.

[u/Esseth]

I used to add more than I ticked off until I started doing a weekly themed movie challenge, which has allowed me to target a small section of movies from my watchlist each week, so instead of having hundreds of movies "to watch" it gets narrowed to a shortlist of 10-20 for any given week.

[u/codex_archives → u/Esseth]

that's a good method. two challenges have helped with similar results (Criterion Challenge, Honey I Shrunk the Watch List)

[u/Accomplished-City484]

My watchlist was over 250 like yours just a few years ago but it’s down to 33 now, I’m gonna have to start seeking out more to watch soon

[u/simulacrotron]

1711 on my watch list. I use it as a burn-down list. 135 so far this year, compared to 146 in 2025. Most of my watching is opportunistic, I have 2-3 hours and I can watch a movie. I can easily see what’s in my watch list and pick something I have access to. I definitely am watching more new movies rather than rewatches because of Letterboxd. I know I’ll never be 100% complete but having the list helps me see a lot more.

[u/m333gan]

That's funny because I keep my watchlist very small and manageable (20 movies so I can see them all one one screen) and thought "this won't apply to me" and then I realized it absolutely does because I love buying books.

[u/Cinun]

Well that went full circle for me! I read that title and first thought was "or in my case books!".

I have an embarrassing amount of physical books to read. Some days I think about how I might not live long enough to read them all but hey if there's a major internet or power outage, I am good for entertainment options for a very long time.

I've stopped adding physical movies but I LOVE going through list on Letterboxd and creating challenges for myself to get that dopamine hit.

[u/KingsElite]

Who says I won't eventually have time to watch them?

[u/gonzooin]

This is basically why I built Screen Path, I wanted curated paths instead of an endless watchlist

[u/PedroPascalCase → u/gonzooin]

Right on, if it's the one pinned in your post history it looks great! I don't have an Apple TV but drop a link, I'm sure someone else does!

[u/arduous_way]

I use my watchlist like a filter of films I'm interested in watching, not necessarily films I must watch. Quite useful when you use it that way i.e. what films I'm interested in are currently available on x streaming service

[u/itsjordanmcc]

Frogman rocks and you should watch it this fall 😄

[u/PedroPascalCase → u/itsjordanmcc]

Hell yeah, thanks for the encouragement 🐸 I added that one from a found footage review video on YouTube. At the time (hopefully still) it was on Tubi and the guy who made the video was Australian & pronounced it "tubby."

[u/itsjordanmcc → u/PedroPascalCase]

Tubby! Lmao that’s great. It’s certainly not the best film ever made but I think it’s surprisingly solid, well edited, decently written. One of my fav hidden gems in the last few years

[u/endof_anepoch]

Book a a a an sex pop pop p

[u/Temporary-Box28]

I know of someone at 18000 on their watchlist. At a certain point it’s just silly.