12 Reasons Romance Fiction Is Bad For Your Soul

When you hear the word “romance” what's the first thing that you think of? If it's a super cheesy Nicholas Sparks movie, you're definitely on the right track, and who could blame you? These films have basically cornered the market when it comes to corny romance and it's hard to resist watching them, despite your best intentions. Sometimes you just want to head to the theatres to see a tragic tale of long-lost lovers or grab your friends for a movie night at home. But when you think about it, these movies aren't really that great for you. They're completely unrealistic and, sure, Hollywood is like that sometimes, but watching these types of films is actually doing more harm than good. Here are 12 ways that romance fiction is bad for your soul. Don't believe me? Curl up on the couch tonight with a rom-com and then tell me how you feel.

12 It's Not Real Life

If your boyfriend has ever surprised you with red roses or a super cheesy romantic gesture, you were probably making up after a bad fight, it was Valentine's Day, or maybe it was your birthday. But those are special occasions and not your every day relationship story. These stories are completely fake and real life will never look like them. Guys just aren't that romantic and so you're only setting yourself up for tons of disappointment if you watch these tales and really believe they could come true.

11 No One Kisses In The Rain

Have you ever kissed someone in the rain? Not even just the rain but a complete and total downpour. Even a storm, the kind where everyone stays inside and hides. I'm not surprised that your answer is no… and yet in every single movie of this nature, the couple kisses in the rain. It's sometimes their first kiss and is supposed to be incredibly romantic but it's really not because both people are just soaking wet and that's too gross to be cute.

10 Even The Author Got Divorced

The world (or just the Internet/social media) went pretty nuts when Nicholas Sparks announced in January 2015 that he was getting divorced. What, the King Of Romance couldn't keep his marriage alive? Really? But lucky (or unlucky?) for us, there's going to be even more entertainment: ABC is developing a sitcom about a divorced guy and the producer is none other than Sparks. So while the next crop of movies based on his books will still be love stories, his TV show will be anything but. Seems to say something pretty important, right?

9 It's Sexist

The idea that women are sitting around for their Prince to come around already and sweep them off their feet is not only false but it's pretty sexist, too. These stories seem to exist only to prove that women still want a man, but women can be single and still have an amazing life. In the real world, women want boyfriends so they can share their lives with someone but they don't care about romance at all that much and they don't feel like they need someone else in their life in order to feel complete.

8 It's Melodramatic

Look at any Nicholas Sparks movie based on his bestselling novels and tell me they aren't completely melodramatic. Let's look at A Walk To Remember as an example. Mandy Moore's character is a sad case: a total bookworm who is also a nerd with zero friends. The popular guy, played by the adorable Shane West, falls in love with her after getting to know her and realizing she's not that uncool after all. But wait… there's more: oh, she's dying of cancer. Melodramatic much? I rest my case.

7 There's Too Much Sadness

The Notebook is probably the saddest piece of romance fiction that there is. Why did it have to end that way? Why couldn't the couple be together forever? Why do we have to grow old, anyway? This type of story just makes you feel way too many sad emotions and it's just not good for you. Movies and books are supposed to entertain us, not make us feel so sad that we can barely get out of bed the next morning. Let's look for comedic movies and sitcoms that can cheer us up, not bum us out.

6 There Are Plot Holes

These stories always have about a million plot holes. Like how come the male love interest always happens to know exactly where the female love interest is so he can swoop in at the end of the movie, save the day, and finally win her heart? That's a pretty major plot hole when you stop and really think about it. Every single romantic movie has at least one moment that doesn't make any sense at all.

5 There Are Ghosts

Have you seen the 2013 Nicholas Sparks movie Safe Haven? There's a pretty ridiculous ghost storyline in this film. When I say ridiculous, I mean ridiculous. It actually is bad enough to make you want to throw your popcorn in the air and scream. This really wasn't a necessary part of the movie. Everyone knows what you get when you watch a Nicholas Sparks movie: romance and cheese. You aren't supposed to throw in some ghouls or anything supernatural. That's just not part of the agreement.

4 People Don't Write Love Letters

Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum starred in the 2010 flick Dear John and there are tons of scenes with them writing letters to each other. Love letters, to be exact. Um, what? Why? People don't write love letters in real life. They just don't. They might text or call or stalk their love interest on Facebook but nobody is writing any beautifully crafted, thought out, handwritten notes. This just sets you up to fail because when you watch this movie, you will expect a guy to do that for you, and it's just not happening.

3 The Break-Ups Suck

If you see two protagonists of a romantic movie or book break-up, it's because of silly reasons that don't really make sense. They are obviously being torn apart for the sake of a plot device to create obstacles. The characters obviously get back together and it's like nothing ever happened at all. They never have any real issues, which is stupid because of course you're going to have problems when you're in a relationship. That's just normal. These stories are just not real life at all because anyone knows that break-ups are just part of the deal.

2 People Die

A Walk To Remember should basically be illegal because it makes you get all invested in the poor girl/rich guy love story between Jamie and Landon and then she dies. Seriously? Why does the main love interest have to be sick and actually die at the end? That's not the deal that we made when we agreed to watch a corny romantic movie. It's just not. We wanted to be entertained, to cry a bit, to swoon, and then to leave the theatre/turn off the TV with a shrug, ready to move onto the rest of our lives. Dying wasn't part of the deal.

1 The Endings Are Too Obvious

Finally, romance fiction is really bad for your soul because the endings are super obvious. Besides The Notebook, of course, you always know that the two main characters are destined to be together forever and that they will definitely end up happily ever after. Real life isn't so predictable and that's definitely a good thing. These stories can be so completely boring because there are never any surprises. The best part about life is that you never know what's around the corner or what's going to happen to you. That's magical and exciting, and just proves that unlike romance fiction, life is definitely worth it.