Just a guess: You were alive when progress marched on before your eyes. Animations are "new" to you, and like many people you have some sort of implicit association somewhere in the back of your mind that "new == better"
Do you ever find some animations to be lower quality than others? E.g. a pop up with a progress bar being lower quality than a spinning wheel? That might be another sign.
Do you ever find some animations to be lower quality than others? E.g. a pop up with a progress bar being lower quality than a spinning wheel? That might be another sign.