You’re settled in your living room couch, keenly focused on the almost ridiculous fantasy story of “27 Dresses” or “Valentine’s Day” for the nth time. Looks pretty harmless, right? Well, not really. A recent study reveals that getting too enthralled by this kind of films might subconsciously transform you into the Girlfriend from Hell.
Heriot-Watt University researchers have discovered in their study that chick flicks can develop unrealistic expectations for relationships and love, especially when it pertains to communication. It turns out that hot girls hot girls who are into romantic comedies are inclined to have mind-readeritis, which is setting expectations for their man to know what these hot girls want and how they feel without even having to tell them. Think of all those film scenes when a guy has a light bulb moment, suddenly knowing what is exactly wrong with his situation and having the perfect way to fix it. Then, the scene shifts to overly exaggerated kinesics such as sending dozens of roses to the woman’s apartment on the hour every hour, showing up on her doorstep with a rare, limited-edition copy of her favorite childhood book, which he remembered when she casually mentioned it when they were still dating ages ago, and loudly playing love songs out her bedroom window under the pouring rain.
Just like in real life… NOT. Here are three telltale signs that you might be falling into the chick flick trap.
You’re always thinking, “That would never happen to us.”
Having a mindset that automatically concludes your relationship is invincible and doesn’t have serious problems can qualify as being overly optimistic, which is a sign that you may have some quixotic expectations. You might be dangerously convinced that he will not lie to you or you would never cheat on him, but it’s essential to accept the fact that any relationship can receive a huge blow or two during its course.
You’re keeping score of everything.
So you grabbed dinner on your way to his place, scored good seats for him to see his home team play at the arena, and let him know he looks fantastic in his new sweater all within one week. Now, you are waiting for his romantic gesture that he’ll do to repay your kindness, which never comes. What happens is you go from disappointed to just plain pissed for having an unappreciative boyfriend. The solution: If you’re going to do something to your boyfriend, make sure it’s alright if he doesn’t give you something back for it.
You’re sure it’s written in the stars.
Your Starbucks barista calls out the same exact coffee beverage for you down to the extra shot of espresso and nonfat milk. If this makes you believe you are somehow soulmates, you have been watching too many romcoms. You may have a few astonishing things in common, but things are not just that clear-cut in real life. There are times that fate can bring two people together, but this doesn’t mean you’ll spend the rest of your lives happy akin to a fairytale ending. The trick here is to stay in touch with the real world, and don’t stop communicating.
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