Stop Watching Chick Flicks

I’ve been espousing this theory for years, but I’m glad this concept is being recognized in more media sources.

Relationship experts are saying that romantic comedies are creating too high expectations for people in their relationships.

Last week, researchers at Heriot Watt University’s Family and Personal Relationships Laboratory in Edinburgh, which studies best practices in relationship counseling, completed a study of 40 Hollywood romantic comedies released between 1995-2005. They found that problems typically reported by couples in relationship counseling at their counseling center reflect misconceptions about love and romance depicted in Hollywood films.

People watch these films, where the guy knows exactly how to win the girl over by some miracle or doing just the right thing that is perfectly suited for the female lead. Apparently people are too dumb to realize that these stories are written pieces of fiction. You’d think that since women constantly ask “what are you thinking?” they would know that humans don’t have the ability to read minds. But they don’t.

Relationship counselors often face common misconceptions in their clients — that if your partner truly loves you they’d know what you need without you communicating it, that your soul mate is predestined. We did a rigorous content analysis of romantic comedies and found that the same issues were being portrayed in these films,” the university’s Dr Bjarne Holmes says.

Now, before you call me unromantic – I like romance, I just think you can’t expect hollywood style storylines in real life. This is the same thing as the 13 year old girl watching Super Sweet Sixteen on MTV and demanding a mercedes and TI to perform at her birthday party. This is the same reason guys shouldn’t watch too much porn. It simply creates unrealistic expectations. Girls – don’t expect your guy to somehow sense exactly what you are feeling and thinking at all times and Guys- don’t expect her to be up for a threesome with that strange girl you just met in a bar.

Admitted- Maybe I am just bitter because I am single during the holidays.