32 Things That Get Romanticized All The Time But For All The Wrong Reasons

As you scroll through the list, you may realize that you have experienced some of these things firsthand, when you found them lucrative in the beginning, only to find they are not all that they're made out to be. To better understand what makes them so appealing to us in the first place, Bored Panda reached out to Eden Lobo, a counselor and psychology professor. 

She explained that without real-life exposure, people rely on secondhand narratives, which often portray the experience in a glamorous or overly simplified way. However, she also added that romanticizing something new can be a way to cope with dissatisfaction in one’s current life, as unfamiliar experiences are often imagined as a "way out" or a solution to current problems.

Prof. Lobo believes that media and social comparison play a major role in shaping unrealistic expectations of experiences by presenting curated, idealized, and often incomplete portrayals of reality. She brought up the social comparison theory by Leon Festinger, which states that people evaluate themselves and their lives by comparing them to others, especially peers.

"When those comparisons are made against filtered, idealized media content, it often results in distorted perceptions. Another thing is that movies, ads, and shows often frame life events like falling in love, moving to a new city, or chasing a dream as transformative and flawless. This storytelling leads people to overestimate the emotional payoff of unfamiliar experiences," she noted.

Our expert stressed that unfulfilled desires and dissatisfaction with one's current life are key drivers behind idealizing the unfamiliar, and psychologists often describe this as a form of psychological escape or projection. Prof. Lobo expressed, "When people feel stuck, bored, or unhappy in their current situation, they often turn to fantasies of an alternate reality."

"This process helps them mentally escape discomfort by imagining an experience as inherently better. Romanticizing the unfamiliar can also act as a psychological buffer, giving people something to look forward to. It can momentarily lift mood or increase motivation, even if the fantasy isn’t realistic."

She also spoke about how people often project their unmet emotional needs onto external goals. She explained this through simple examples: someone craving freedom may romanticize solo travel, while someone longing for stability may idealize marriage, without accounting for the challenges involved.

We also conversed with Prof. Lobo about the impact it can have when people are slapped by reality when they experience these romanticized things. She noted that people often feel a sharp sense of disappointment or emotional letdown, which is especially painful when the experience was highly anticipated or romanticized as life-changing.

"Psychologically, this can create cognitive dissonance, the discomfort of realizing that what you believed would make you happy actually doesn’t. People often tie their identity to their goals. When an idealized experience fails to deliver, it can cause a kind of existential hangover, leaving them feeling lost, stuck, or unsure of what to pursue next," she summed up.

Well, that sounds quite sad, doesn't it? Alas, that's just how life is, one failed romanticized expectation after another, I guess. All we can do is hope that at least a few of them actually turn out as we think, right? Anyway, dear readers, now we want to hear from you and your such glamorized illusions. Don't hesitate to leave them in the comments!