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  1. Conclusion:

Conclusion:

Effects of exposure to romantic film content have been shown to decrease as we get older (Driesmans et al., 2016). While this is encouraging to know that we are not always heavily influenced by these aspects of media, it further echoes the need for monitoring media, especially for children and early adolescents.

In one of the first pieces of research that has sought to explore the psychological benefits of life without television, Hammermeister et al. (2002) found that individuals who watch more TV experienced more feelings of depression, loneliness, and shyness than non-viewers did. While it is unrealistic and nearly impossible to avoid the consumption of all media including television, these results can remind consumers to be conscious of the media they consume and to consider how media might be affecting them negatively.

Knowing that a large portion of our education about relationships and romance comes from media (Griffiths, 2019), there is a clear and timely need for improvement. Since media comes in many forms and cannot always be regulated or censored, education might be the greatest defense against relationship abuse. By implementing psychological research in education systems, knowledge would combat the unrealistic and unhealthy portrayals of romance as they begin to form. Simply increasing awareness about how to recognize abuse or unhealthy relationship patterns could make a difference, especially if implemented in younger age groups. With high divorce rates across the United States, many children do not grow up in homes that display a healthy example of romance or marriage. So, education could fill in the gaps.

The best way to prevent and stop relationship abuse (along with related thinking patterns) would be a combination of educational efforts alongside mindfulness about what media is being consumed. In this context, mindfulness would empower users to maintain more personal control over what they see each day. After knowing why and how media is being consumed, efforts to limit screen time or filter what kinds of content an individual is seeing would potentially be helpful. It is so important to understand that all types of media are socializing forces that teach us about the world and prime our behavior. Parental considerations are key in this regard, as platforms like Netflix have decreased in censorship over the years.

Several gaps in the literature around relationship abuse exist. In order to really understand how romantic media content impacts the development of relationship abuse, more longitudinal research is needed in about abusers (rather than victims). The literature is lacking with inclusion of men as victims as well. With media consumption growing and changing each year, new research that includes social media platforms like TikTok and algorithms is also needed. Lastly, social psychology has distinguished a difference between passionate and companionate love. Passionate is the “honeymoon phase” of relationships that dies out after a few years, while companionate love is grown over time. From personal experience, most romantic film content I have seen depicts passionate love. Since passionate love is not a predictor of relationship success, research that explores that connection would aid the scholarly understanding of how media portrayals of romance lead to success or failure in relationships.

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