Romantic comedies, reality TV matchmaking shows, and sitcoms aren’t just entertaining (to some). Here’s a scary article that describes research on how popular media is changing the way we see love.

For example, people who watch shows such as The Bachelor tend to believe in love at first sight and idealize love.  In contrast, watching TV sitcoms leads to negative perceptions about love and relationships.

As I have argued many times, the power of popular culture, in the face of little resistance from families, schools, and other community institutions, is subtly, yet significantly, shifting our views on so many aspects of our lives, most notably relationships. Only time will tell whether these insidious changes will have long-term harmful effects on people, relationships, and our society as a whole. But it’s not a road that I want to go down.