Let’s face it, we love to hear ‘and they lived happily ever after’ at the end of a story. We feel a warm happy glow when two people overcome the odds to reunite in a kiss as the movie ends and we feel a pang of sadness when they just can’t work it out. Even if the only acceptable ending for Romeo and Juliet was their deaths, that hasn’t stopped generations from re-writing their own, happier version of events. Even if we would never admit it, we are romantics. We love forever love. But why do people tend crave the happily ever after – even if it is just in fiction?
A rather obvious answer is that a happy ending is pure escapism. We live in a world of wars and poverty, of climate change and diseases and death on the news every day. We know that real life does not always equal a happy ending and so we wish to see it in fantasy instead. By escaping into a world where a declaration of love can fix any problem and walking hand in hand into the sunset represents eternal bliss, we can forget our troubles for a while. During times of hardship, cinema attendance noticeable rises. People want to forget their every day and retreat into a place where dreams do indeed come true, for a few hours at least.
Perhaps it is not just about escapism, and rather about what happy endings represent; hope. In this jaded and cynical society, optimism is often seen as naivety – we know that fairy tales don’t exist and can be made to feel stupid for wishing it was so. But when jobs are scarce and money is tight and it feels like no one is getting the life they want, seeing a happy life played out can be comforting. It can give us a silver lining, a sliver of hope that maybe we, too, could find a love that lasts.
It is important to note that when it comes to fiction, how much we are invested in characters determines how strongly we root for them. If characters are unlikeable, or dull, or do not earn their happily ever after, then any ending can be fair game. We might even feel satisfied, like when that idiot in a horror movie goes down to the basement alone and meets their untimely end! But if we identify with a character, perhaps see reflections of them in our own lives, and grow to love them then we cannot help but to wish they gain their heart’s desire. There’s a reason love stories like Elizabeth and Darcy or Jane and Mr Rochester (and let’s not forget all the Disney films) are so perennially popular.
Even if you are a Valentine’s Day cynic, don’t feel ashamed to watch that romantic film, or read that cosy love story for the hundredth time. You won’t be alone, we are all hopeless romantics at heart ...