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Why does the belief that women are more romantic persist despite empirical evidence?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2026

Tereza Hadravová Open the ORCID record for Tereza Hadravová [Opens in a new window]
Tereza Hadravová*
Affiliation:
Department of Aesthetics, Charles University in Prague, Praha, Czech Republic tereza.hadravova@ff.cuni.cz
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

This paper reflects on why the belief that romantic love holds greater significance for women than for men persists despite empirical evidence to the contrary. It suggests this assumption is shaped by media portrayals of romantic love and argues its persistence across gender lines is sustained by the entrenchment of a male perspective that media representations help normalize.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e102
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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