The Memes We Like Influence Our Romantic Beliefs, Says Study

The Memes We Like Influence Our Romantic Beliefs, Says Study

Have you ever meme-approved a guy? Well, the next time you start flirting with someone, take your social media stalking to the next level. You know there are these really popular Instagram accounts that almost everyone on our list is following? They have a plethora of relatable memes and which ones a person likes can say a lot about them. So when you’re scrolling through your feed and you find one that is sexist or toxic, and then you see “XYZ and others” like this, dump that XYZ!

I have found this meme-method quite effective. It’s adorable when you are in the pre-relationship stage and you come across a quote or a meme that applies to the two of you. Just when you’re about to send it to your bae, you realise he has already liked it. Similarly, when you really know your boo and you know he is a gem, when you come across a toxic meme on a page you both are following, you can trust him to not have liked it.

Clearly, memes aren’t just insignificant images and videos out there, simply for our entertainment. Honestly, I barely interact with people on social media. All I do is watch cat videos, Friends clips, and like romantic memes and feel terribly single. And Instagram is smart AF. When I am going through a shitty breakup phase, it makes sure to feed me with all those really sad, heartbroken memes – the deprecating kind being its favourite. Like social media is not out there to change how you feel. It will take your emotion and feed you so much of it that it becomes a part of your personality.

According to a study, your exposure to romantic memes can alter your beliefs and relationship satisfaction. “The study aims to understand the influence of romantic memes and beliefs on relationship satisfaction. Beliefs which lead to undesirable outcomes in the relationship are defined as “toxic beliefs”. As media plays an important role in socializing young people, the popular love memes produced by media nurtures the beliefs of young people. The current experimental study on emerging adults seeks to understand the influence of short-term exposure (Cognitive Priming) of romantic memes on romantic beliefs and relationship satisfaction of emerging adults,” the report says.

The participants were then primed with memes that were either toxic or of a healthy nature. The toxic ones promoted jealousy, unrealistic expectations, insecurities, etc. The healthy ones focused on the value of gratitude, selflessness, acceptance, freedom and unconditional love. Participants were then assessed for romantic beliefs and relationship satisfaction.

“The results of the study indicate that brief exposure to ‘toxic’ memes can indeed have an effect on romantic beliefs. Those exposed to toxic beliefs as well as the control group were both more likely to agree with statements focused on jealousy and insecurity, attachment and dependence, and materialistic exchange,” says PsyPost.org. You see, the memes they like say a lot of their beliefs!

“None of the groups, however, differed as regarded relationship satisfaction. The authors offer the explanation that humans tend to use cognitive strategies to reassure themselves of their romantic decisions, although future research will need to further explore the relation between beliefs and satisfaction to confirm this,” the report says.

If you are feeling a bit dicey about relationships and commitment after a breakup and you are fed with posts talking about how love hurts, you will evolve into a complete commitment-phobe. However, if you love relationships and every day you are looking at posts that show happy couples, family goals and all that, you will feel ready for being in a long-term connection.

I was consuming a lot of commitment phobic and self-deprecating content and then I just snapped out of it. I stopped liking those posts and consciously consumed only positive, healthy content. And now I am constantly fed with those memes and I feel emotionally, I am in a much better place.

“Nonetheless, the findings are significant: even brief exposure to “toxic” memes was sufficient to alter romantic beliefs. Considering the barrage of memes that most people and especially youth encounter in their daily lives, their importance where relationships are concerned is difficult to overstate. Understanding why and how external factors influence the way we engage with and love others is an important step on the path to forming better, healthier relationships,” PsyPost.org concluded about the study.

ALSO READ: Bollywood Movies That Portray Love Realistically

“Internet memes are highly influential. They are designed as momentary entertainment, something to be quickly viewed and then forgotten. Despite this, the images can have a lasting impact: affecting our mental well-being; changing events in the offline world; used as political propaganda; or disguised in subliminal advertising campaigns. It is surprising that something so seemingly trivial can be so persuasive. Rather than dismissing the images as low culture, researchers should take note of the interesting social patterns surrounding Internet memes. Internet memes might be unsophisticated, but they are still important,” another study on the power of social media meme emphasizes. Hence, it’s essential to monitor the memes you consume, instead of just going with what social media showers you with. At least, if you want to be in charge of your mental health and your relationships.

The study, “Romantic Memes and Beliefs: Influence on Relationship Satisfaction“, was authored by Jigisha Gala and Nishrin N. Ghadiyali.

ALSO READ:5 Signs You Need To Become More Independent In Your Relationship

 

Akanksha Narang

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