Nobody wants to watch a movie with two characters who always agree on everything and never have a disagreement. Conflict is vital for producing drama and a captivating narrative, as every hack screenwriter knows. That being said, tension between two lovers can be adequately represented in a variety of ways (Moonstruck is an excellent example) without them scratching and clawing at each other for two hours straight.

True, relationships may be difficult. In fiction, constant fighting just depicts a burning passion. Couples who continuously squabble will usually split up and seek a less antagonistic mate, just like bonobos apes. today.duke.edu, two scientists, spent 15 years in central Africa comparing bonobos to more violent chimps. Their discoveries were nothing short of astounding.

The groundbreaking study makes a compelling case that people may have completely misinterpreted Darwin's concept of'survival of the fittest' and the function of alpha males. "Bonobos have never been witnessed killing another bonobo," Hare explained. The primates were able to evolve successfully by establishing a community based on peaceful coexistence, particularly among females. Physical violence is just not tolerated, and "the friendliest males had the most children because the females liked them," Hare adds.

Marriage is a hazardous bet for something that has a 50/50 probability of failing. Weddings, on the other hand, are portrayed in movies as the completion of life's ultimate objective, to be celebrated with the same pomp and ceremony as the Olympics, World Cup, and Super Bowl Sunday all rolled into one. Please remember to gamble responsibly, everyone.

Getting married is intended to be a happy occasion that brings family and friends together for 'the big day.' So, what could possibly go wrong with love in the air, followed by food, beverages, and dancing? Everything. Of course, the silver lining is the abundance of theatrics from which filmmakers may draw to entertain everyone. Whether it’s a fire-breathing Bridezilla or a pair of fun-loving womanizers crashing the party, these tying the knot plots include Bride Wars, Bridesmaids, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Wedding Planner, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Big Wedding, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Fade in: A boy and a girl meet. The boy flirts with the female. People learn over a few drinks in a dimly lit bar that she's working on her master's degree in English Literature, while he can barely scrawl his name in the mud with a stick. Regardless, they fall madly in love, proving that opposites do really attract.

Although appearance and sexual chemistry are essential factors, dating experts point out that people who share many interests have a considerably better chance of remaining together. They don't have to agree on everything, but those from vastly different backgrounds are frequently doomed. That is, unless Julia Roberts appears on the screen.

Pretty Woman stars Julia Roberts as a hard-luck hooker who manages to snag a handsome, wealthy businessman (Richard Gere). A decade later, she appears in Notting Hill, presumably portraying herself, and is charmed by a loving but hopelessly ordinary bookshop owner played by rom-com regular Hugh Grant. Grant was arrested in 1995 for soliciting a prostitute, which is a tasty piece of trivia.

Hopeless romantics are ready to accept this warm and fuzzy concept, believing that their ideal partner is out there somewhere, just waiting for them. Do soulmates really exist? Perhaps they do, perhaps they do not. And that's all Tinsletown needs to keep selling feel-good stories like Serendipity and Only You to the popcorn-eating masses.

The legend of the Egyptian Gods Osiris and Isis dates back 5,000 years. They're definitely soulmates. Myth takes it deeper. Essentially, these two began their connection in the womb, where they are born as twins. They're also very much in love. Later in life, Osiris is kidnapped and killed by his jealous brother, Set. In grief, Isis merges with Oriris' spirit, and they conceive a god-like child, Horus. Angered, Set has his brother's body cut up into fourteen pieces. In response, Isis shows her eternal love by gathering the pieces of her husband's body, until he eventually comes back to life.

Merriam-Webster defines a soulmate as "a person who is temperamentally well suited to another." Nonetheless, several top-tier therapists advise that even the most blissful marriages require a lot of effort to keep on course. “This expectation paves the way for significant disappointment,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Instead, replace the idea of ‘finding’ your soulmate, with ‘creating’ one through years of learning about them, navigating challenges, creating a family, and loving each other through all the happy and hard times.”

One of the most blatant misrepresentations in rom-coms is the idea that singles can never be happy. All personal and professional accomplishments appear to pale in comparison to one's relationship status. Rene Zellweger, for example, plays the frumpy, eponymous character in Bridget Jones Diary, who is obsessed with not dying "fat and alone." She eventually finds entangled in a tangled love triangle and is subjected to a series of embarrassing, inebriated humiliations along the road. She'd be lot better off alone, according to logic.

The film trilogy, based on Helen Fielding's best-selling novel, also depicts the normalization of sexual harassment in the workplace. In a recent interview, Fielding stated that she would be unable to write the story now because of the degree of misogyny, which she described as "very frightening for me to see how things have evolved since then."

There’s some seriously ugly people in relationships. People with terrible personalities can always find someone to put up with them. Death row inmates find love. So, it’s probably not the case that you’re uglier, dumber, and more annoying than everyone else in the world. The simpler (and more likely to be correct) solution is that it has nothing to do with these factors. You’re just single because you haven’t met them, yet.

"Stalking Is Harmless" is one of things Romantic Comedies Get Wrong. When it comes to seeking a job or competing in sports, the saying "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again" is totally appropriate. When it comes to relationships, though, movies frequently assume a more militaristic tone: chase down the target by air, land, or sea until they finally wave the white flag. This is not only a heinous message, but it can also have serious implications.

According to a 2015 research at the University of Michigan, women who see films like There's Something About Mary become more tolerant of violent male conduct. Author Julia R. Lippman says that some popular rom-coms have (men and women) protagonists with stalker-like tendencies. “I was inspired to pursue this research by observing that stalking often seems to be trivialized in culture, said Lippman. This depiction of relentless pursuit is especially dangerous because “It can encourage women to discount their instincts,” adds Lippman.

This well-worn cliche, similar to super glue, argues that a single four-letter word will cure everything. The rom-com canon has repeatedly taught people that he or she can cheat, have a criminal record, bad credit, horrible breath, bad manners, and terrible music taste, but it doesn't matter because L-O-V-E is all that matters.

Reality, however, tells a different story. A significant reduction in male college enrollment has resulted in a mating crisis that no amount of love can cure. Women now account for approximately 60% of college students in the United States, with the gender gap widening.

Popular dating apps, according to NYU Professor Scott Galloway, demonstrate that men with college degrees receive significantly more attention than those with no higher education. As a result, "you have the most dangerous person in the world, who is a broke and alone male, and people produce far too many of them," Galloway adds. "The mating inequality that will result from the lack of men in college poses an existential threat to economy and society."

Sometimes all it takes is a new hairstyle and a little makeup to find true love. At least in romantic comedies. From dowdy to sparkling, everyone has all seen this method applied in innumerable films, such as Clueless, Princess Diaries, and Miss Congeniality. The biggest fault with this method is that attractive actors are made to appear unattractive before they metamorphose from caterpillar to butterfly. Anyone who has ever cohabited is well aware that bed head and morning breath are unavoidable. Couples that are willing to accept their partner's actual nature have a better chance of remaining together, flaws and all.

It's difficult to think of a romantic comedy that doesn't include some sort of glow-up, usually as a way for some painfully adorable lady to achieve glamorous status in order to impress a man. One example is the 1999 film She's All That, in which a relatively small change of clothes and glasses changes Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) from nerdy girl to prom queen material, allowing her to finally capture the eye of hot boy Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.)

According to Dubrow, love at first sight is when you sense an instant connection to another person. "Some people describe it as pyrotechnics, while others describe it as times when nothing else mattered but seeing and talking to each other for the first time. It's the feeling you get when you don't want a moment to finish because you've never had such a connection with another person before."

In theory, glancing at someone for the first time can elicit a flood of emotions, but it's mainly lust or curiosity that captures attention. Love, on the other hand, is a complicated beast. Hitting a home run in your first Kentucky Derby is the stuff of dreams, metaphorically speaking. Meaningful partnerships frequently necessitate more innings, with compatibility determined by factors other than performance in the saddle. In Sleepless in Seattle, for example, Meg Ryan's character doesn't even require a visual signal. Instead, she dumps her fiancé and falls madly in love with Tom Hanks' voice. Sure, this '90s classic is undeniably charming, but it doesn't excuse questionable morals and speculative behavior.

Do you believe in happily ever after? Snow White wakes up after receiving a kiss from the prince and they go off to live ‘happily ever after’. But in order to live happily ever after, your marriage must be a happy one, filled with the kind of deep passion and radical acceptance that cultivates a blissful bond between two people.

In Kate & Leopold, Kate is a big city go-getter (Meg Ryan again) who (spoiler alert) must travel back in time at the end of the film to get her man. She eventually falls into the arms of an impossibly charming duke (Hugh Jackman) and presumably lives happily ever after. Although waltzing in the 19th century may seem whimsical, it’s a safe bet a fiercely independent woman like Kate won’t appreciate her limited career opportunities — nor being allowed to vote for that matter. Sadly, Kate & Leopold would probably end up being more like Sid & Nancy. In a Chicago Tribune article exploring romantic myths, sociologist Chauntelle Tibbals has this to say about Hollywood endings: “Reality is not so seamless,” Tibbals said. “Tragedy happens. Life happens. People just grow in different directions.”