Examines the effects of romantic comedy exposure on beliefs and satisfaction in adults, highlighting complex pathways.
Romantic comedies are replete with idealized romantic expressions, such as beliefs about love at first sight and true love. Exposure to this content can lead to the formation of idealized beliefs about relationships, which may impact relationship satisfaction. The present study examined relationships between endorsement of romantic beliefs and exposure to, and preference for, romantic comedies, relationship satisfaction, and personality traits. Data from 646 Brazilian adults showed positive correlations between romantic belief factors and exposure to romantic comedies. Watching romantic comedies was positively related to romantic beliefs, but individual characteristics such as gender and personality (Big Five and Emotional Investment traits), proved to be stronger predictors. Besides, romantic beliefs were positively associated with relationship satisfaction and partially accounted for the association between romantic comedy exposure and relationship satisfaction. These findings suggest that consumption of romantic comedies is associated with the endorsement of romantic beliefs and that its effects on relationship satisfaction operate through opposing pathways, with indirect positive associations offsetting a negative direct effect.
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Zibenberg et al. (2026) studied this question.
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