"It started out as any of my typical elliptical exercise sessions begin. I had just ended one show and was looking for something to pass the time. I had remembered the pretty shimmery underwater cover image for The Summer I Turned Pretty along with the gentle chime of the introductory music. Having loved young adult author Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved trilogy of films, I was intrigued to immerse myself in another one of her teen romantic dramas."
"The story is simple enough: Asian American teen in a love triangle between brothers. The protagonist, Isabel (Belly) Conklin, spends several seasons flip flopping between the two Fisher boys, Conrad-the older moody, sensitive pre-med student-and Jeremiah an easy-natured frat boy often described as a golden retriever boyfriend. While the plot offers some additional layers of emotional complexity-the boys' mother is diagnosed with cancer in season one-"
Parasocial attachment to romantic archetypes fuels intense adult engagement with adolescent love stories. Research on hedonic adaptation clarifies why repeated exposure to romantic narratives sustains pleasure. Adolescent love stories reliably activate nostalgia, which supports emotional regulation and offers safe opportunities for processing formative feelings. Romantic media provide structured emotional escape that can feel restorative rather than purely escapist. Specific narratives featuring coming-of-age love triangles emphasize character maturation from adolescence to early adulthood, heightening viewer investment. Audience responses often mirror fan cultures of earlier franchises, with strong, identity-linked allegiances to romantic pairings and selective focus on beloved characters.
Read at Psychology Today
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