Romance movies are built on rules and formulas audiences know well—best friends fall in love with each other, ordinary people conquer the hearts of famous people. As a result, we no longer take certain clichés seriously and consider these situations Impossible to happen in real life. However, there is common sense and sage advice in those cheesy rom-coms.
We at Bright Side try to examine the major clichés in romantic movies and see if the situations and behaviors shown there can be applied in real life.
1. Going to a different city or country after a breakup
Screenwriters often send a heartbroken character on a trip to another country. Once they arrive in a new place, they immediately find new friends and meet the love of their lives.
It turns out that changing circumstances after a breakup or other traumatic event is a really good idea. Psychologists and research have also proven this: we forget about everyday life during our breaks and meet new people, which makes us happier.
2. The protagonist writes about her relationship in a diary or newspaper column
Writers and journalists often appear in films as main characters. Their careers can be tied to their personal lives – and they write about their relationships.
Even for people who work in different fields, it can be useful to pour emotions onto paper. Keeping a personal journal can help you express your fears and concerns, learn to recognize negative thoughts, and track changes in your mood.
3. Changing our style changes our life
We see various interpretations of the Cinderella story in the movies. A story in which a change of clothes and hairstyle completely changes the life of the main character may seem boring to some, but there is wisdom in it as well.
Research It has been proven that clothes do make people. Participants in the experiment were asked to rate the professionalism of strangers by looking at photographs. Well-dressed people scored higher.
4. A date in a favorite secret place
Good attitude in movies often develops into love after a character shares his or her dreams or takes him or her to their secret location. It does make sense — when we open up and tell people about our interests, they start to get to know us better.
5. Love at second sight
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that someone the protagonist doesn’t care about at first turns out to be the right one in the end. The idea of love at first sight sounds good, but it’s time to admit that the messages of these films are fair Assessment of Reality – One should get to know a person better before refusing to communicate with them.
6. The protagonist rejects life in the big city and returns to his hometown
Yes, travel does help movie characters heal their wounds. But sometimes they decide to move to another place just to change their circumstances. They believe that moving to a different place will make a person happier. But it turned out to be wrong and they returned to their hometown.
Researchers Explain why people sometimes have a hard time living in places they work so hard to live in – they’re just low on happiness. This indicator was determined by surveying local people. In a happy place, one also becomes happy, and in a depressed place, one will want to run back to their hometown. People are often ready to sacrifice their careers for the sake of comfort.
7. Sudden acquaintance
In this day and age of dating apps, sudden encounters between characters in movies seem unrealistic. It’s hard to believe that a stranger could become a soul mate.
According to stress management expert Paula Davis, communicating with strangers is a good thing. She’s even thankful for talking to the taxi driver, as she ends up finding new friends and getting a bunch of helpful advice for her relationship.
8. The main character understands that her ideal boyfriend is not hers
Many times, the heroines in movies break up with boyfriends they think are ideal, and like boyfriends who are not compatible. When it comes to affection, the semblance of mutual interest and wealth fades.
According to Dr. Lisa Firestone, whoever fits our ideals doesn’t always fit us. According to her, the important thing is not to find the ideal partner, but to learn to handle our relationship.
9. Career builders understand that happiness is not just about work
At the beginning of many romantic movies, we see strong and successful characters who gradually understand that their work is not bringing them happiness. The sudden appearance of love helps them change the situation.
We shouldn’t criticize them and throw popcorn at the screen. Different studies have shown that there are no benefits to being a workaholic – people who are dependent on their work are more likely to suffer from depression and sleep problems. Sometimes it’s useful to take a break from your career and pay attention to other areas of your life.
10. After a breakup, the characters decide to give their relationship a second chance
Characters in romantic movies break up and get back together all the time. Of course, almost no one has broken the breakup record set by Rachel and Ross in “Friends.” But it’s still fun to watch this love take leaps and bounds.
In fact, there’s nothing wrong with reuniting with your partner after a few months or even years. Maybe the reasons for the breakup no longer mattered or made sense. We should also remember that people tend to change, which is why it is important to give them second chance.
11. Helping someone close to make the right decision
More than half of the romance movie characters would never be with their partners if it weren’t for the help of countless friends and family. Because it’s their friends or loved ones who give the characters wise advice at the last minute.
In real life, it’s also important to listen to those around you who know you well and can calmly assess the situation.
12. Say “I love you” at the last minute
Characters in romantic movies like to leave things until the last minute and confess their feelings at very inconvenient times — at their wedding to someone else, or before they travel to another country.
Of course it’s best to talk about how you feel right away. But people need time to recognize and accept them. In this case, it’s better to say “I love you” at the last moment than to keep silent. It’s better not to suppress our emotions and wonder how our lives are going This is how it turns out if we acknowledge our deep feelings for them.
