According to science, this is the perfect romantic comedy.

Romantic comedies They are still considered a guilty pleasure. It’s true that it’s not the most thoughtful film genre, which is why there are those who refuse to admit that they like it. But it is also true that they serve their purpose: to entertain without making you think too much.

This is something we could think broadly about. However, the structure of romantic comedies is simply complex. They’re full of clichés, but they’re clichés that work. Clichés that, of course, attracted the attention of film experts, but also psychologists and neuroscientists.

This is because romantic comedies follow the patterns that our brains like. If done right, they may not win an Oscar, but they will be an unmistakable rating. Therefore, platforms such as Netflix They are becoming more and more interested in them. But of course, with great power comes great responsibility. These films attract the population so much that their messages resonate deeply. These are messages that can be very helpful, but can also cause a lot of harm. Science has studied both aspects to make them known creators and screenwriters. But let’s take it piece by piece. What should the ideal romantic comedy have?

Key Moments of Romantic Comedies

As explained in the article for Talk Christina WilkinsProfessor of Film and Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham, there are four factors that make romantic comedies successful.

On the one hand, there is conflict. This may seem bad, but the truth is that these are conflicts that They always end well That’s why audiences like them so much. Typically, these conflicts can arise between parents and children. For example, when a child stands up to his parents, rejecting the partner they were looking for for him. Conflict may also arise between lovers. Many people fall fatally at first. Or, finally, conflict can become a solution.

The latter is very common in Christmas romantic comedies in which one of the main characters faces an internal conflict, choosing between his professional career and the man he fell in love with two weeks ago. Love usually wins, but be careful with this.

Stepping is also a good ingredient. from friends to lovers. Friends who meet after a long time and suddenly fall in love, or who, without being separated, see how their feelings begin to change,

On the other hand, Wilkins refers to lack of communication among the characters in romantic comedies. This is a common occurrence in comedies. Characters make bad decisions or become angry due to confusion caused by lack of communication. This is something that can create funny situations and at the same time provoke the previous conflict.

And finally, there’s a new incentive for romantic comedies: inclusivity. There is an increasing recognition that there are films that do not feature white, heterosexual men or women, but characters. All genres are starting to include more diverse characters, but the ones taking it most seriously are romantic comedies with titles like brothers (2022) or Rye Lane (2023).

Why do we like them so much?

We’ve already seen what makes romantic comedies successful. But what is the reason for this success?

The answer, like many other questions, seems to lie in the brain. He commented on this in 2022 in an article for Psychology today neuroscientist Aditi Subramaniam. She talks about what she understands to be the key points of romantic comedies, and the truth is that they can easily be compared to what a film scholar points out about romantic comedies. Talk.

For example, for Subramaniam, the first key to success lies in a phenomenon known as principle of acquaintance. As we’ve already seen, romantic comedies are based on clichés: friends falling in love, children confronting their parents over love, confusion and arguments with beautiful reconciliations… The fact that they are repeated always the same formulas This makes romantic comedies feel as familiar as a movie we’ve seen a thousand times. And this, although it may seem bad if we stick to the artistic part, is good for the brain because It’s nice not to have to process something new.

On the other hand, universal human emotions rise. Regardless of the characters’ personalities, it will be very easy for us to feel identified with their emotions. It also promotes familiarity and helps us feel better about ourselves.

And the neuroscientist also talks about minority representation. If we don’t see ourselves in films, magazines or books, we may feel uncomfortable. So the fact that a much wider range of characters are gradually being included is very helpful from a psychological point of view.

Romantic comedies are a double-edged sword

In 2016, a study was published that presented romantic comedies as a tool for becoming a better person.

The study was conducted by dividing participants into four groups who watched the film twice a week for five weeks. Participants in the first group only saw Romantic comediesonly those of the second action films and finally, the third and fourth groups watched a combination of both in a 60/40 or 80/20 split, always with romantic comedies coming first. All the films were old, so they probably weren’t watching them for the first time. Moreover, they received similar results from criticism.

After this period of time something happened known as 30-item Moral Framework Questionnaire. It aims to evaluate how a person approaches these fundamentals, which are divided into harm/caring, respect for authority, fairness, loyalty and purity.

Participants must show their level of preparation. agreement or disagreement with statements such as “Fairness is the most important requirement of society” or “People should be loyal to their family members, even if they have done something wrong.”

It was observed that watching romantic comedies significantly increased scores on all values ​​except cleanliness. Therefore, we can say that watching this kind of movie makes us better. Of course, diminishing much of what it means to be a good person.

There are also negative values

However, psychologists have also studied the negative effects of certain romantic comediesWith. And, for example, a man’s insistence on going on a date with a woman who told him no may be romanticized in these types of films, but ultimately it is a form of stalking. Yeah the movie romanticizes itperhaps in real life it is difficult for us to detect it.

The same thing happens with romanticization. leave everything for love. Not that that’s a bad thing. But we must understand that a person’s life rests on many pillars and that love should not be the only thing far from it. We need to be absolutely sure that a relationship is worth making big decisions or sacrifices, so a Christmas relationship probably won’t help. In addition, reciprocity is important.

Jumping into the deep end for a relationship is not a bad thing. But will another person make an equally important effort for us? These are all questions we need to ask ourselves that aren’t enough in a romantic comedy. Moreover, it is true that one of the key ingredients of these films is that everything ends well. But it doesn’t hurt that from time to time something happens in which things don’t end the way the main characters would like. Because this is also real life.

Sometimes the feelings are not two-way or we are in the wrong place at the wrong time for the person. Understand that this can happen to us and feel represented In this aspect it can also be psychologically positive. This is, for example, what happens in films such as 500 days together (2009).

Either way, a movie should never be a guilty pleasure. If we are pleased to see them and we are not harming anyone, we should not feel the slightest guilt. This is something we also have to work on psychologically.