5 Reasons to Watch More Documentaries

Learning never ends – and I take that idea very seriously. I’m always searching for new articles, books, videos, and lectures on the internet to expand my understanding of the world and how it works.

Knowledge is valuable, and I take pride and joy in learning new things. 

I try not to limit myself to any one source of information, and documentaries have been my latest passion to indulge in.

I love documentaries. I have always tried to watch at least one documentary a day. I considered it a “personal challenge” in self improvement and it’s provided me with a lot of useful knowledge so far – the experiment has been a massive success.

Just some of the documentaries I’ve been watching lately include “Happy,” a feature about positive psychology, “Marley,” about the legendary musician Bob Marley, “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” a documentary about an incredibly passionate and talented sushi chef, as well as bunch of recent “BBC Horizon” episodes on various scientific topics.

There are so many great documentaries out there, so the possibilities are really endless. I highly encourage others to watch more documentaries on their own free time because I truly believe they can make you a better and more educated person.

A lot of the documentaries I’ve been watching can be found on Netflix, History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Amazon, or even YouTube. Top Documentary Films is one easy and free resource to get started. You may even want to consider going to your local library or buying some DVDs in stores.

Here are great reasons to watch more documentaries:

• Depth and breadth of knowledge – Documentaries can be a very effective way to introduce yourself to new topics, as well as gain more depth in certain topics you may already be knowledgeable in. They allow you to develop a more “well-rounded” base of knowledge, rather than just specializing in one thing.
• New conversation fodder – Documentaries give you new things to share and talk about with others. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve found myself mentioning interesting facts that I’ve learned in documentaries at least once a day.
• Introduce yourself to new worlds and lifestyles – Documentaries can often give you insight into different places and lifestyles that you’d otherwise have very limited exposure to. This provides you with a greater perspective outside of your own experiences.
• It keeps your brain active – Documentaries keep your brain active by giving your mind new information to absorb and think about. Without active learning and engaging yourself, our minds often stagnate and become stuck in the same patterns of thinking.

• It’s fun and interesting – Documentaries are often fun and entertaining to watch. They are one of the easiest ways to learn new information due to our attraction to visuals, music, and story-telling. Many people are more likely to pay attention to a documentary than reading a book or listening to a lecture from a teacher.

Documentaries are a great resource for learning new things, but you should also keep in mind that not everything you learn in a documentary is automatically true.

Try your best to think critically about everything you learn, expose yourself to different viewpoints, and don’t take anything for granted. Don’t be afraid to do your own research if you find yourself questioning something you hear in a documentary.

Try a 2 week or an entire month documentary challenge of your own. First, find a handful of documentaries that pique your interest, then schedule them out for the next 14 days. 

Watch them during your free time, consider substituting them with your normal routine of TV or video games. They will be a nice change of pace.