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To cite this article: Lauren Galloway, Erika Engstrom & Tara M. Emmers-Sommer (2015) Does
Movie Viewing Cultivate Young People's Unrealistic Expectations About Love and Marriage?,
Marriage & Family Review, 51:8, 687-712, DOI: 10.1080/01494929.2015.1061629
Download by: [Anelis Plus Consortium 2015] Date: 21 September 2016, At: 01:36
Marriage & Family Review, 51:687–712, 2015
Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0149-4929 print=1540-9635 online
DOI: 10.1080/01494929.2015.1061629
LAUREN GALLOWAY
Department of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
INTRODUCTION
The notion of true love has become a significant part of U.S. popular culture,
and media representations of romance have come to structure people’s rela-
tional routines (Illouz, 1997). Mediated stories about love—fed to us through
various channels such as books, magazines, music, television, movies, and
the Internet—are ‘‘mythic, stereotypic and archetypal’’ representations of a
hegemonic worldview (Galician, 2004, p. 70). They have become sources
687
688 L. Galloway et al.
of idealized love and sex relations and potential effects on those who
consume them (Baran, 1976a, 1976b; Holmes, 2007; Signorelli, 1991; Shapiro
& Kroeger, 1991). These studies reveal a link between a partiality toward
romantic media, perception of accuracy of mediated portrayals, and partici-
pant endorsement of unrealistic beliefs about intimate relationships. Likewise,
real-life departure from these beliefs contributes to frustration and dissatis-
faction with one’s sex life and one’s romantic relationship.
The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship, if any,
between media consumption, mainly in the form of movie viewing, and the
holding of beliefs regarding love and romance that point to unrealistic expec-
tations regarding the processes and workings of romantic relationships. Our
main question is whether movie-watching preferences correlate with dys-
functional beliefs about romance, particularly notions related to perfection,
and the idea that love overrides other practical considerations required for
healthy romantic relationships. To that end, this study aims to find out
whether preference for certain storytelling genres—romantic comedies and
dramas— correlate with a propensity for movie viewers, namely, young
adults, to express beliefs that reflect a romanticized view of love, romance,
and marriage.
in the popular movies,’’ suggesting ‘‘that the consequences of sex are rarely
presented’’ (p. 31).
In their content analysis of 40 high-grossing romantic comedies,
Johnson and Holmes (2009) observed that most films they analyzed featured
newly formed, fledgling affairs and stressed the initiation stages of the
relationship over maintenance strategies. Relationship-oriented incidents
such as kissing, affectionate touching, and cuddling were plentiful in their
sample. Undesirable representations were also present, albeit to a lesser
degree, and were often romanticized such that it appeared there were no real
consequences for objectionable or detrimental behavior.
The glossing over of the complications of love and marriage in everyday
life becomes even more pronounced in films about weddings. For example,
Johnson (2007) examined portrayals of sex, love, and romance in popular
wedding films such as American Wedding, The Wedding Singer, Just
Married, and Muriel’s Wedding and found ‘‘the films advance the myth that
because two people love each other, they can get married and everything
will work itself out’’ (p. 362). Sex is easy and wonderful for on-screen
spouses, considering the ideal male or female partner is physically flawless
and attraction expected. Predestined partners are inseparable in wedding
films despite ‘‘seemingly insurmountable odds’’ and conflicting values, if
these hindrances make an appearance in these stories at all.
These assumptions embedded in ‘‘problem-free’’ versions of love stories
imply that human love in the romantic sense is and should be unconditional
and everlasting, two attributes many by experience know to be inaptly
ascribed. Indeed, research by Eidelson and Epstein (1982) showed the
expectation of mindreading and sexual perfectionism, among other dysfunc-
tion beliefs about intimate relationships, correlated with signs of marital
maladjustment and desire to end the marriage. Depictions of love, romance,
and married life on television overemphasize characteristics of Hendrick and
Hendrick’s (1986) eros love style, presenting an overly romanticized view of
love and stressing idyllic physical compatibility.
Galician (2007) cautioned against the personal and societal costs of
holding fast to dysfunctional beliefs. Unreasonable standards for judgment
of one’s partner or marriage can prompt invalid or dysfunctional appraisals
of occurrences within the relationship. Holders of unrealistic expectations
can become intolerant of the conflict, humdrum routines, and other features
of close, proximal living that often characterize real coupleships, especially
those that immensely contradict their beliefs about love and marriage. This
can contribute to an increase in marital disturbance—accompanying dysfunc-
tional emotions like anger and dysfunctional behaviors such as verbal
abuse—as some individuals refuse to accept the reality of dissatisfaction with
his or her marriage (Baucom & Epstein, 1990). Because high levels of marital
satisfaction reduce the likelihood of divorce or separation, the converse is
probably true for high levels of dissatisfaction (Kim & McKenry, 2002).
Movie Viewing and Unrealistic Expectations 691
H1 and H2, based on previous findings from Segrin and Nabi (2002), predict
a correlation between watching romantic movies and endorsement of dys-
functional beliefs regarding romantic relationships. These include expecta-
tions of sexual perfection, mindreading, romantic passionate love and
intimacy, and beliefs that disagreement in relationships is destructive and that
‘‘love conquers all.’’
Research indicates, aligned with the aforementioned idealized notions, that
individuals use media as a learning tool regarding relationships and sexuality
(Allen, Emmers, Gebhardt, & Giery, 1995; Emmers-Sommer, Pauley, Hanzal,
& Triplett, 2006; Emmers-Sommer, Triplett, Pauley, Hanzal, & Rhea, 2005). Con-
sistent with modeling theories, such as social cognitive theory, individuals are
inclined to adopt attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that are modeled for them,
particularly if the behaviors being modeled for the viewer are rewarded (e.g.,
Bandura, 1994). A typical storyline for romantic drama and comedy films
(including the ones tested in this investigation) portray a ‘‘feel good’’ storyline.
Unfortunately, such romantic relational storylines often convey impractical, dys-
functional, and=or unrealistic expectations about romantic relationships. View-
ers of such media might be more inclined to believe their own personal romantic
relationships will be void of problems or that problems will magically resolve
because love conquers all. It is expected that such romantic dramatic and come-
dic storylines will positively relate to the various criterion variables. To test for
correlations between romantic drama movie viewing and dysfunctional beliefs,
these hypotheses predict the following:
Segrin and Nabi (2002) found that participants who reported greater
exposure to romantic television programming also (1) scored higher on
the marital intentions scale and (2) reported spending more time thinking
about romantic relationships. Thus, the following hypotheses test for
the correlation between romantic movie viewing in general and these
beliefs:
METHODS
should know each other’s’ innermost feelings’’ and ‘‘you should be able to
talk openly about everything’’ (Cronbach’s a ¼ .80).
MARITAL INTENTIONS
Segrin and Nabi’s (2002) eight-item instrument was used to gauge respon-
dents’ intentions to get married and maintain one’s marriage once it comes
to pass. Sample items include ‘‘when I get married, I intend to stay married
until I die or my spouse dies’’ and ‘‘I will have one and only one marriage
in my lifetime.’’ Items used five-point Likert scales (Cronbach’s a ¼ .73).
Movie-Viewing Preferences
MOVIE VIEWING
An instrument created for this study assessed general movie-viewing habits.
Respondents reported frequency of theater visits, movie rentals, the number
of times they watched a movie on cable and=or network television, gave an
estimation of overall monthly movie-viewing, listed top three favorite films,
and indicated the person(s) with whom they typically watched movies.
Approximately 22% of participants reported they typically watched movies
alone (n ¼ 49), 22% with friends (n ¼ 51), 36% with a romantic partner
(n ¼ 83), and 18% with family members (n ¼ 41). Respondents yielded a list
of 376 movie titles. The most frequently cited film titles were The Notebook
(n ¼ 23, 6%), Harry Potter (n ¼ 19, 5%), Batman: The Dark Knight (n ¼ 13,
4%), and Twilight (n ¼ 11, 3%).
to U ¼ usually) each of 15 types of films (see Appendix 1). Items used five-
point Likert scales.
RESULTS
Movie Genre
between the two variables (r (226) ¼ .012, p ¼ .857, ns). Thus, H1c was not
supported.
H1d posited that romantic drama movie-viewing frequency is signifi-
cantly and positively associated with endorsement of the belief that true love
conquers all. As expected, watching the romantic drama genre correlated
positively with faith that ‘‘love will find a way’’ (r (226) ¼ .205, p < .005).
H1d was supported.
H1e posited that romantic drama movie-viewing frequency is significantly
and positively associated with greater expectations for intimacy. There was a
significant and positive correlation between romantic drama movie viewing
and participant intimacy scores (r (226) ¼ .156, p < .05). H1e was supported.
H1f posited that romantic drama movie-viewing frequency is signifi-
cantly and positively associated with endorsement of the eros love style. A
Pearson bivariate correlation revealed an association between romantic
drama movie viewing and the eros style of love (r (225) ¼ .255, p < .001).
H1f was supported.
Gender Differences
The research question asked which gender held more idealized expectations
about love and romance. A t-test revealed that women (M ¼ 4.01, SD ¼ 1.024)
viewed the romance-based genres more frequently than men (M ¼ 2.75,
SD ¼ .905), (t(226) ¼9.23, d ¼ 1.30, p < .001).
As previously indicated in Methods, possible scores for the following
dependent variable scales ranged from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). As presented
in Table 2, independent t-tests revealed significant differences between the
sexes regarding (1) expectations for intimacy (women, M ¼ 4.51, SD ¼ .438;
men, M ¼ 4.40, SD ¼ .546), t(226) ¼2.10, d ¼ .28, p < .05; (2) fantasy rumi-
nation (women, M ¼ 3.72, SD ¼ .891; men, M ¼ 3.32, SD ¼ .806), t(226) ¼
3.42, d ¼ .47, p < .05; and (3) marital intentions (women, M ¼ 4.21,
SD ¼ .469; men, M ¼ 3.95, SD ¼ .641), t(128) ¼ 3.09, d ¼ .46, p < .05.
However, no statistical differences emerged between sex of participant
and either endorsement of (1) beliefs in sexual perfection (women, M ¼ 3.02,
SD ¼ .576; men, M ¼ 3.12, SD ¼ .484), t(226) ¼ 1.31, d ¼ .18, p ¼ .190, ns; (2)
the mind-reading expectation (women, M ¼ 2.83, SD ¼ .602; men, M ¼ 2.81,
SD ¼ .607), t(226) ¼ .16, d ¼ .03, p ¼ .866, ns; (3) disagreement disallow-
ance (women, M ¼ 2.22, SD ¼ .531; men, M ¼ 2.25, SD ¼ .556), t(226) ¼ .34,
d ¼ .05, p ¼ .732, ns; (4) faith that ‘‘love conquers all’’ (women, M ¼ 4.10,
SD ¼ .754; men, M ¼ 3.98, SD ¼ .841), t(226) ¼ 1.15, d ¼ .15, p ¼ .251, ns;
Movie Viewing and Unrealistic Expectations 701
TABLE 2 Idealized Expectations about Love and Romance, Marital Intentions, and Fantasy
Rumination by Participant Gender
Gender
Women Men
M SD M SD t
Dysfunctional beliefs
Sexual relations will be perfect 3.02 .576 3.12 .484 1.31
Mind-reading expectation 2.83 .602 2.81 .607 –.16
Disagreement disallowance 2.22 .531 2.25 .556 .34
Love conquers all 4.10 .754 3.98 .841 –1.15
Expectations for intimacy 4.51 .438 4.40 .546 –2.10
Endorsement of eros love style 4.08 .596 3.92 .598 –1.88
Marital Intentions 4.21 .469 3.95 .641 –3.09
Fantasy Rumination 3.72 .891 3.32 .806 –3.42
or (5) the eros love style (women, M ¼ 4.08, SD ¼ .596; men, M ¼ 3.92,
SD ¼ .598), t(225) ¼ 1.88, d ¼ .26, p .060, ns.
DISCUSSION
This study sought to analyze the association between romantic movie view-
ing and romantic beliefs. Specifically, participants were asked to report what
movie genres they frequently watched and their expectations regarding sex,
love, and romance. With the popularity of such movies as The Notebook
(2004) and the Twilight Saga (2008–2012), it behooves individuals and practi-
tioners alike to recognize possible correlates between constant absorption of
romantic messages and beliefs that endorse relational dysfunction. Revel-
atory information regarding potential media effects might impede ill-starred
marriages and, it is hoped, prevent divorces.
of sex being perfect is highest among divorced, single women and at a low
point for divorced, single men.
Regarding the notion of conflict disallowance in romances, we found
that men and women who are seeing multiple partners seriously both are
at their highest agreement. That said, in terms of mind reading, women ser-
iously dating multiple partners are at their highest acceptance of conflict dis-
allowance and men seriously dating multiple partners are at their lowest
acceptance of conflict disallowance. How these findings might be cautiously
interpreted is that men and women who are dating multiple partners are
inclined to avoid conflict with their partners, perhaps because there is less
invested in each partner.
Research demonstrates that the more intimacy and interdependence
there is in a relationship, the greater likelihood of conflict (Cupach & Canary,
2000). Given an individual can turn to another if one of the partners becomes
conflictual is an option in the multiple-partner dating scenarios. That said, the
finding in this investigation demonstrates that women dating multiple part-
ners are more inclined to mind read than men holding the same relational
status. If it is the case, as noted earlier, that women holding this relational sta-
tus might be searching for Mr. Right and men in this status are more likely
playing the field, it might make sense that women would be more inclined
to mind read—trying to figure the partner out—than men. Finally, regarding
the measure of romance-based movie viewing, men are almost flat-lined
across relationship status, with engaged men and men seriously dating mul-
tiple partners at the low points in agreement, whereas engaged women and
particularly women seeing multiple partners are at a highpoint.
whether just starting to become serious about a dating partner or those who
have been married, come to hold their notions and anticipations regarding
what ‘‘love’’ means and how courtships and long-term romances should
unfold. We focused on viewing frequency and preference for romance-based
films to help explain perceptions about romance. One could approach this
same subject using the uses and gratifications perspective. For example, Hong
and Sun (2012) in a series of experiments found that physical coldness tended
to increase participants’ liking of romantic movies for those who associated
physical warmth with psychological warmth. What perceived benefits, such
as simple entertainment or purposeful instruction, might people have for
seeking these types of films? Further, the question of whether romantic
comedies and dramas are preferred by one gender over another—and the
confirmation or dispelling of assumptions about the ‘‘chick flick’’ as associated
with women—may help to explain how fantasy rumination about love and
marriage operates might serve as another research path.
Future researchers also might compare idealistic expectations to prefer-
ence for other types of films such as action=adventure, horror=thriller, or
animation. Making these comparisons would help determine if genre-specific
viewing or genre preference even matters in shaping romantic beliefs. Further,
comparison of older and younger samples of participants, as well as indivi-
duals with varying educational levels, would provide a better understanding
of how and when certain notions of romantic love become part of a person’s
worldview. Participants drawn from an older population, which would be
assumed to have more experience in the love and romance department,
notably, marriage and divorce, as well as an increase in cohabitation trends
(Jayson, 2013), could be expected to disagree with dysfunctional beliefs about
romantic love. However, given the popular notion that ‘‘hope springs eternal’’
among ‘‘hopeless romantics,’’ these assumptions could be proved incorrect.
Additionally, comparison between Western and non-Western groups and=or
films could elucidate the forces of media socialization as well as the different
ways in which visual messages color romantic ideals.
Generally targeting diverse populations also allows researchers to parse
social factors that may impinge on and deconstruct environmental elements
that work in opposition to potent media messages. For example, social cur-
rency and status often accompany heterosexual coupleships, especially those
on the trajectory to marriage and procreation (Elia, 2003). As a result, homosex-
ual, bisexual, and lesbian individuals, in the face of institutional discrimination,
may think more practically about relational adversities and, indeed, expect
them more than might heterosexuals. With the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015
decision in favor of same-sex marriage, future research could examine changes
in views of romance and marriage based on sexual orientation. Research on
mediated portrayals of nontraditional families and coupleships demonstrates
media’s potential to increase positive attitudes toward and receptivity of
alternative relational and family forms (Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2003).
Movie Viewing and Unrealistic Expectations 707
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This article is based on the first author’s thesis, for which the second author
served as the director and the third author served as a committee member.
We thank Drs. David Henry and David Dickens for their comments on the thesis.
NOTE
1. A bivariate correlation matrix was computed among criterion variables to determine multicollinear-
ity. Stephens (1996) argues a bivariate correlation over .80 and a variance inflation factor over 10 may be
cause for concern. Pearson bivariate correlation coefficients ranged from .02 to .47. The variance
inflation factor of the variables ranged from 1.10 to 1.44, indicating that no multicollinear relationships
were demonstrated.
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APPENDIX