Friends helped a grad student survive 104 MRI scans

When you think of a research marathon, you probably picture endless spreadsheets, coffee‑stained notebooks and the occasional nap. For Auburn University graduate student Joshita Majumdar, the picture also included a cramped, humming 7‑Tesla MRI scanner and, oddly enough, the sitcom Friends playing on a tiny screen.

Majumdar, originally from Kolkata, India, moved to the United States in 2016 to study engineering. Like many international students, she wrestled with homesickness and the everyday stresses of graduate school. One evening, on a roommate’s recommendation, she pressed play on the opening credits of Friends and—after a few confused moments—found herself hooked on the witty banter of Chandler, the goofy charm of Joey, and the occasional heartfelt hug among the gang.

Fast forward to 2024: Majumdar signed up for a novel study that aimed to map how ordinary fluctuations in sleep affect brain chemistry. The catch? She would have to step into a massive, humming MRI machine for 90‑minute sessions, not once or twice, but over a hundred times across 76 weeks. “It sounds like a Zen‑master’s patience test,” she jokes, “but with a lot more metal and a lot louder.”

The researchers, led by Professor Gopikrishna Deshpande from Auburn’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department, needed a way to keep her mind occupied during the scans. Rather than classic white‑noise or generic nature footage, they asked Majumdar what she’d enjoy watching. Her answer: Friends, of course. She curated four ten‑minute video loops—each a patchwork of scenes ranging from Joey’s goofy antics to the show’s more tender moments—so the brain would experience a mixture of emotions, giving the scientists richer data.

“If you’re happy, you watch Friends. If you’re sad, you watch Friends,” Majumdar told Popular Science. “So all times are a good time to watch Friends, right?” The sitcom’s rapid-fire jokes, sudden laughter, and occasional sentimental beats turned the otherwise monotonous scanning process into something resembling a couch‑potato binge, albeit with a scanner’s coil hugging her head.

What makes this study stand out isn’t the number of scans—though 104 is impressive in its own right—but the fact that Majumdar’s sleep patterns were never artificially altered. Unlike prior experiments that deliberately deprive participants of rest, this project simply observed her natural, day‑to‑day sleep habits while recording the corresponding brain chemistry changes. “It’s a real‑life portrait,” Professor Deshpande explains. “No forced sleep deprivation, no lab‑only conditions. Just a person living, sleeping, and watching Friends.”

Majumdar’s background in engineering gave her a bit of a head start on MRI comfort; she’d already handled the confined space for smaller projects. Still, the sheer endurance required was daunting. The team took it one week at a time, checking in after each session to make sure she was still up for the next round. “We said, ‘Okay, let’s see how far we can pull this,’” she recalls, smiling.

Now, as the data rolls in, the researchers hope to link subtle sleep quality shifts—like those caused by a late-night study session or a weekend out with friends—to specific neurochemical changes. If successful, the findings could inform everyday sleep recommendations without demanding participants lock themselves in a lab for weeks on end.

In the meantime, Majumdar says she’s grateful for the companionship of Ross’s divorces, Monica’s cleanliness obsessions, and Phoebe’s quirky songs. “It made the 90‑minute “time‑out” feel a lot shorter,” she admits. And for anyone curious about the power of pop culture to smooth over scientific rigour, the answer seems clear: sometimes a good laugh is the best kind of data collection tool.