When I think of comfort, I imagine me laying in bed with snacks, and my favorite rom-com playing. If I would ask my friends what their idea of comfort is, it would be likely that we share the same views. Rom Com Movies are a global pleasure that combine the two most loveable genres: Romance and Comedies. There is something so comforting and ideal about Rom coms. Maybe it’s the fact that they take people out of their repetitive days and introduce them to a new reality that centers around love, or that rom coms show us what we wish to see, and by expressing it through us in other people, it makes us feel as if we can achieve that same love. In summary of those two abstract ideas, the love behind rom coms can be summarized to be science. “How can one’s love for a movie be surrounded by science?”’ you may ask, but in reality, it’s very simple, and movies use this simple science to their advantage.
There is science behind everything you love; Science is the plain explanation for why we love simple things such as books, music, even people. In our brain, we have an area called the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which serves a vital part in motivation and reward processing, and is part of the reward system in our brain. The VTA does all those functions by moderating a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is involved in many body functions such as movement, memory, attention, sleep, mood, learning, and most importantly, pleasure. Dopamine is part of the reward system of our body, which basically “rewards” us for when we do something necessary to survive, such as eating and drinking, by releasing dopamine. Our body is wired to respond to stimuli which can activate the reward system, so when we do something that stimulates our brain, the VTA releases dopamine into our bodies. Movies cause our brains to become stimulated, so they release high levels of dopamine. Now what does this have to do with rom coms? Well, It all has ties into the very name it is: romance.
In 2005, a Harvard study conducted by Anthropologist Helen Fisher showed MRI images of the brains of people thinking about somebody they love romantically, and the brains of people thinking about acquaintances. The images of the brains of those thinking about somebody they loved romantically, showed parts of their brains to be rich with dopamine. “When we are falling in love, chemicals associated with the reward circuit flood our brain, producing a variety of physical and emotional responses—racing hearts, sweaty palms, flushed cheeks, feelings of passion and anxiety,” said Richard Schwarts, author of the Harvard article about love and the brain. Along with this, another thing that is lovable in rom coms is the comical part of it. When we laugh, our body releases something called endorphins, which is the natural way our body relieves pain, stress, and boosts our mood. Endorphins are released by the hypothalamus in our brain, which is also part of the reward system of our brains. All the stimulation from the two perfect genres combined make our brain bring out the best in us. The phrase “laughter is the best medicine”, is really just a fact!
To sum everything all up, when we see images of love in a movie, our brain becomes stimulated, releasing dopamine, and because we see parts of love and comedy, we become attached and see characters as ourselves. On top of that, the comedy part of rom coms relieve our stress and boost our mood because of the endorphins that are released when we laugh. That is why rom coms are the most lovable genre of all, and it’s all because of our brain. So anytime one might be in need of a mood boost, something as simple as watching a fun rom com can be the one thing to cheer them up. Hopefully, reading this makes you want to reward yourself with a rom com, and now everytime you see a movie you love, always think about the reward your brain is giving you, and now you know why you love your favorite rom com.
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