Andrew T. Bagley’s reflection cites Matthew McConaughey who abandoned the genre that made him famous in 2009. Around the same time, countries like Italy and Japan were beginning to experience negative population growth. Coincidence?
“Forget climate change”he says provocatively Andrew T. Bagleyexpert in marketing and behavioral psychology, why “the real existential threat may be the death of romantic comedies”.
The progressive decline of rom-coms in the cinematographic landscape, second Bagleynot only does it not only represent a cultural loss, but it could have profound consequences on the way people relate and even on the stability of modern societies.
His reflection begins by quoting Matthew McConaughey who abandoned the genre that made him famous in 2009 to make a change in his career, more or less in the same period in which countries such as Italy and Japan began to record negative demographic growth. Coincidence? Maybe yes, maybe no, but for Bagley the link between popular culture and social behaviors deserves attention.
The decline of romcoms and the loss of romantic stimulation
“We started labeling romantic comedies as awkward”explains the expert, “forgetting that for decades they were one of the main tools through which we learned social and sentimental dynamics”. In romantic films, in fact, audiences observed models of courtship, seduction, vulnerability, emotional communication and relational risk-taking. At the root of the problem, second Bagleythere is also a change in individual behavior. Most children are born to married couples, but today people are marrying fewer and later. It is no coincidence that 45% of men between 18 and 24 have never ‘run the risk’ of telling a woman: “Hey, do you want to get some coffee?”.
Bagley he continues his speech by explaining that between 1990 and 2007, romantic comedies accounted for approximately 15% of releases by major film studios, while today that percentage has dropped to around 2%. In 1995, box office successes in the romance genre were five times higher than in 2024. At the same time, all 15 of the world’s largest economies are now below the demographic replacement rate, which is the minimum level necessary for a population to remain stable.
The result? Shrinking populations, shrinking economies, emptying cities, public services under pressure and fewer and fewer taxpayers able to pay for welfare and elderly care.
“The human brain is a predictive machine”insists Bagley. “When we observe love stories, desire, hope and courage are activated. Without these cultural stimuli, connection becomes more difficult”. For this reason, he warns, it is not just one “dating crisis”but of a real question of civilization. According to the psychologist, the solutions cannot be limited to economic incentives, family policies or childcare services, although they are fundamental. We also need a cultural change. “If culture stops telling romance”conclude Bagley, “in the long run even romance ceases to exist”.
If we think about the world of streaming, romantic comedies are among the most produced films, but the cultural impact is not comparable to what cinema could do. In general, most of the entertainment productions we see today are part of the stream of superficial content that inundates us every day. And that we forget within a few hours.
Below is the trailer for How to get dumped in 10 daysone of many romantic comedies featuring McConaughey protagonist (here together with Kate Hudson), before the actor made the transition to dramatic roles.
