Women fall for fictional bad boys: Study finds why they have romantic feelings for charismatic yet troubled characters

Most TV series and films have the portrayal of fictional bad boys who are tough, rebellious, notorious and emotionally available. However, women especially prefer to develop romantic feelings for such men. According to a recent study published in the journal Frontiers, women who look for non-committed relationships, develop romantic feelings for such fictional bad boys to evoke feelings of power and imaginative engagement. Also read | The toxic cycle of an unhealthy relationship

It is a common cultural phenomenon of falling for such bad boys of movies and TV. These men are portrayed as masculine, dominant, aggressive and emotionally unavailable. While these features may seem off-putting in most cases, for some women, they can seem attractive.

Findings of the study:

To understand why women fall for fictional bad boys, the researchers conducted an online survey on 47 women with the average age of 23 years. These participants were asked to identify one fictional bad boy that they find attractive. Then they were asked a series of questions directed to understand these features - the women’s personality traits, the strength of their romantic parasocial relationship with their chosen bad boy. Also read | Worried about your partner's red flags? What about yours? Learn how to identify your toxic behaviours

The results were surprising. Unlike prior research pointing to the urge to help as one of the primary elements of developing romantic emotions, these results suggested otherwise. The researchers concluded that the strive to look for uncommitted relationship setups and the urge to experience new things can make women develop romantic interests in fictional bad boys.

The researchers said, “Despite the limitations, this first study on this topic clearly shows the potential of media psychological research on media-transmitted bad boys as embodiments of male dominance and their effect on women. Since half of the hypotheses were confirmed, the findings as a whole do indicate that the phenomenon of male dominance attracting specific women can be transferred to the media context. Possible future studies could now take a closer look at the effects of bad boys on certain women and clearly demonstrate these effects in experimental settings.” Also read | Toxic relationship: What is covert abuse? Signs to be aware of

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.