Rosecry

The portrayal of perfect relationships in magazines and films is giving people unrealistic expectations in love, city researchers have suggested. Romantic Comedies (Rom coms) have been blamed by relationship experts for promoting unrealistic expectations when it comes to love.

Psychologists at the Family and Personal Relationships Laboratory at Edinburgh’s Heriot Watt University studied 40 top box office hits from 1995-2005. The study showed the image portrayed in celebrity publications and romantic movies was actually damaging relationships.

Researchers questioned hundreds of people on their perceptions of the perfect romance. They found that fans of films such as Runaway Bride and Hitch often fail to communicate with their partners effectively, with many holding the view that if someone is meant to be with you, then they should know what you want without you needing to tell them. Some of the other movies included You’ve Got Mail, Maid In Manhattan, The Wedding Planner and While You Were Sleeping.

Dr Bjarne Holmes, from the university’s family and personal relationships laboratory, said: “While most of us know the idea of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, some of us are still more influenced by media portrayals than we realise. Marriage counsellors often see couples who believe that sex should always be perfect, and if someone is meant to be with you then they will know what you want without you needing to communicate it. We now have some emerging evidence that suggests popular media play a role in perpetuating these ideas in people’s minds. The problem is that while most of us know that the idea of a perfect relationship is unrealistic, some of us are still more influenced by media portrayals than we realise.”

Kimberly Johnson, who worked on the study, said: “Films do capture the excitement of new relationships but they also wrongly suggest that trust and committed love exist from the moment people meet, whereas these are qualities that normally take years to develop.”

The researchers have launched an online study on media and relationships. They are asking people to participate by answering questions about personality, relationships, and media consumption habits.

[via Edinburgh News & The Press Association]