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There’s something so fulfilling about going back to the things that you might’ve loved as a child. Truly, it shouldn’t be shameful to indulge in nostalgic activities that once brought you immense joy, whether it’s rewatching a favorite childhood movie or spending an afternoon doing an activity that was fun for you when you were little, like coloring. In reality, these simple pleasures are what ultimately keep us grounded.

A study recently published in JMR Serious Games found that there are actually two specific childish things that adults do to help bring more happiness into their lives. Researchers at Imperial College London, Kyushu Sangyo University in Japan, and Georgia State University studied just a group of 518 postgraduate students to figure out their specific childish interests and the connection to happiness.

Adults who play ‘Zelda’ video games and watch Studio Ghibli movies are significantly happier.

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The study found that adults who enjoy playing video games like “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and watch animated movies like Studio Ghibli films were shown to have “significantly improve[d] … overall happiness and sense of purpose in life.” Researchers had set out to focus on how gaming is connected to education, health, and social change by analyzing how our brains responded to these two activities.

A small group of post-graduate students was asked to watch Studio Ghibli or play The Legend of Zelda, while others were told to do neither.  Once finished, their feelings of calmness, purpose, and life happiness were measured. They noted that  playing “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” on its own “led to higher life happiness scores.” If you watched a Studio Ghibli film before or after, your happiness score also got a boost.

Results of the study showed that “young people navigate stress and sadness by deepening their sense of curiosity, peace, and life purpose,” through engagement with certain forms of entertainment. 

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Most adults yearn to feel like children again.

According to a study conducted by OnePoll in partnership with I Love Ice Cream Cakes, via PR Newswire, more than half of American adults long to feel like a kid again. In particular, the summer months are when most people feel nostalgic to recapture some of those childhood feelings.

Over half of American adults (55%) have nostalgia for their childhood, to the point where they do many of the same summer activities they used to when they were kids. What people miss most from childhood summers is playing outside (45%), family vacations (43%), and eating lots of ice cream (39%). However, you shouldn’t have to wait for summer just to indulge in some of the things you enjoyed doing as a child.

“Revisiting those past interests, even in small or different ways, can reveal what they meant to you and what they say about your story. You might ask yourself: Why did I find that thing interesting?” explained personality psychology expert Sebnem Ture. “Was it the social aspect, the challenge, or the sense of purpose I found in art or music? Exploring these questions can help you bring those values into the present.”

Whether it’s watching Studio Ghibli movies or playing Legend of Zelda, joy doesn’t have an age limit at all. With how busy and serious life can get, we need to be carving out time to still have a sense of wonder about things. These moments are simply never going to be a waste of time, but proof that we can indulge in childhood whimsy even if it’s just for a few hours.

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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.