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Television has a negative impact on relationships
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Even the most romantic relationships can be at risk if one partner, or even both, are constantly glued to the TV screen, according to scientists from Albion College.
As research shows, the more a person believes in on-screen romances and soap operas, the less likely he is to have such relationships in reality.
Experts believe that these studies can help couples who are going through difficult times, because understanding the root cause of the breakdown of family relationships is the key to getting things back on track.
“We found that people who believe in TV fairy tales and don’t understand that they are just scripts, actors and roles, and not real life, are less faithful to their partners and tend to find TV characters more attractive,” said Dr Jeremy Osborne, co-author of the research. “I hope that people will read this paper and think about paying more attention to their own relationships and the relationships with others, and assessing how realistic your demands on a partner are.”
More than 390 married couples took part in the study.
The volunteers answered questions about their satisfaction with their current relationships, the expectations they had for marriage, and their belief in romantic relationships on TV and how often they watched such shows or movies.
Experts have found that those who believe in TV romance tend to view their own relationships as burdensome in many ways. Among such burdens, the most frequently cited are the loss of personal freedom, a waste of time, and unattractive qualities of a partner.
"We live in a society that is almost entirely immersed in media and lives in a world of television and the internet. However, while some people are not very impressed by this, there are those who are very susceptible to the influence of screen images. With the divorce rate in the US not only not decreasing but even increasing, couples should think about their own relationships and not build them on the principle of romantic fairy tales," comments Professor Osborne.