what we see shapes our values

Got this off a Reuters report some time back,

"Romantic comedies might provide 90 minutes of light-hearted fun but the happy-ever-after movies are also impacting people's real love lives, according to an Australian survey.

A poll of 1,000 Australians found almost half said rom-coms with their inevitable happy endings have ruined their view of an ideal relationship.

One in four Australians said they were now expected to know what their partner was thinking while one in five respondents said it made their partners expect gifts and flowers 'just because'.

"It seems our love of rom-coms is turning us into a nation of "happy-ever-after addicts." Yet the warm and fuzzy feeling they provide can adversely influence our view of real relationships," said Australian relationship counselor, Gabrielle Morrissey.

"Real relationships take work and true love requires more than fireworks."

It is so true that many of the values and ideas we hold on to about relationships are shaped by what we see on the media. Who would want to see a show with a sad ending? Everyone wants a happy ending (and go Awwww...) but the reality is such a picture dun come easily. It requires a lot of communication, a lot of working things through, a lot of "quarreling" in order to strengthen the relationship but how many of us are prepared to rough things through before we even think about the happy ending? Guess I'll need to be more careful when I watch romantic films the next time, lest I start comparing and idealizing...