Short dramas about middle-aged and elderly people are going viral! Are our parents falling for the "50-year-old boss sweet drama"?

In recent months, short dramas about middle-aged and elderly people have become popular, with the number of discussions on social platforms reaching 600 million. "Young and handsome men" are no longer popular, and "old and domineering CEOs" have become the new fashion. Staying up late to watch dramas and CPs are no longer the privileges of young people. The retired silver-haired people who have money and free time have also kept up with the trend of the times.

Why is the sweet pet drama about a silver-haired overlord so popular?

The reversal of the character script brings its own excitement

As the protagonists of the romance story, the middle-aged and elderly have unexpectedly captured the hearts of the audience. Although the routine is still the same, the plot is still the same, and the direction is still the same, but the protagonists have been changed to middle-aged and elderly people, which is more exciting.

This is because it not only cleverly combines the compact rhythm of short plays, the exhilaration of cool dramas and the stimulating elements of revenge dramas, but more importantly, it achieves a reversal of the character script through the shift of character focus, breaking the audience's conventional expectations of this type of subject matter and bringing a unique viewing experience.

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Social script theory tells us that in highly structured social interactions, the public has fixed expectations for people of specific identities, which is what we often call "role scripts." For example, when we mention "grandma," she is white-haired, kind and amiable, and when we mention "middle-aged uncle," he is greasy, bald and unkempt.

In previous film and television works, middle-aged and elderly characters are often limited to these established role scripts. For example, middle-aged and elderly women are often portrayed as supporting roles that add fuel to the flames, people who add bricks and tiles, or villains who stir up trouble. However, middle-aged and elderly sweet pet dramas have completely broken this traditional framework and show the other side of middle-aged and elderly people in a more real and three-dimensional way - they can be strong fighters who dare to fight against the misfortunes of life and strong roses who dare to pursue a happy life.

In addition, the gain-loss effect in psychology is also fully reflected in the sweet pet dramas for middle-aged and elderly people. This effect reveals that people tend to like those who like or respect them more and more, and dislike those who like or respect them less and less.

Of course, this effect is not limited to the interaction between people, but can also be extended to the audience's emotional projection of the characters in the drama. In the sweet pet dramas for middle-aged and elderly people, the characters move from the edge to the center, and from negative images to positive images. This reversal not only challenges the audience's traditional cognition, but also makes the audience feel emotional resonance and satisfaction in the process of "gaining" the characters, thus deepening their love and investment in the drama.

At the same time, the portrayal of children has also undergone a profound change. They have broken away from the fixed pattern of rising up in anger after suffering hardships, and are presented to the audience with a richer, more delicate, multi-dimensional and three-dimensional image.

In the new plot structure, they may cleverly create some small twists and turns in the corners of the plot, adding some humor and fun; or at a critical moment, they may inadvertently provide the protagonists with a divine assist, becoming the invisible hand that drives the plot forward. It is worth mentioning that these children are finally freed on the screen, no longer forced to "work hard to pursue careers and work 24 hours a day to pursue relationships", and only need to be a "salted fish" who quietly lies down and eats melons and CPs. This setting undoubtedly coincides with the mentality of many young audiences today: young workers who watch dramas don't want to be such a "salted fish"!

In and out of the play, the psychological needs of audiences of different ages are subtly placed on the runway they desire, achieving emotional resonance. What could be more interesting than watching middle-aged and elderly people get to know each other, fall in love, and stay together? Sweet pet dramas for middle-aged and elderly people are truly loved by men, women, young and old!

A deeper emotional resonance

Why do we all like to watch romantic stories? Even if we have experienced the helplessness of life, the complexity of interpersonal relationships, and the triviality of marriage, we still sink into the fictional beauty? The reason behind this may be found from the perspective of brain neuroscience. According to the research on mirror neurons by the famous brain neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni, when we directly experience something or observe others experiencing the same event, specific mirror neurons in our brain will be activated.

This means that whether we are experiencing a sweet love in person or watching the romantic interactions of the characters in the play as a bystander, our brains will produce similar reactions to some extent. In short, love is not just a personal emotional experience, it is also "contagious" - by observing other people's love stories, we can experience a similar happiness and satisfaction at the neural level. This "copy and paste love" phenomenon is why we, as "cp fans", feel heartfelt happiness and satisfaction when witnessing the sweet moments of couples in the fictional world.

Of course, whether it is youth idol dramas or middle-aged and elderly sweet pet dramas, electronic CPs can provide the same romantic emotional experience, but middle-aged and elderly sweet pet dramas have further explored a deeper emotional dimension on this basis. According to social identity theory, people tend to establish connections with groups similar to themselves, thereby enhancing their sense of self-identity and belonging.

"Middle-aged and elderly" as a clear group identifier is the string that quickly narrows the psychological distance between the characters in the play and the audience outside the play. When the audience sees characters of similar age to themselves, with similar life experiences, emotional challenges and growth trajectories, they are more likely to resonate and identify. This psychological mechanism prompts the audience to "find their own shadow" in the character's story and achieve deep emotional connection. For this reason, compared with romantic plots focusing on young and middle-aged protagonists, sweet pet dramas for middle-aged and elderly people can more deeply touch the hearts of middle-aged and elderly audiences. These dramas are not just entertainment, but also a reflection and resonance of the audience's own life experiences and emotions.

For those young people who are keen on middle-aged and elderly sweet pet dramas, their initial intention may be just curiosity and exploration of middle-aged and elderly love. However, as the plot deepens, they can more intuitively feel the love views, life attitudes, and difficulties and challenges faced by their parents. This process not only enhances their understanding and respect for their parents, but also promotes communication and exchanges between generations. Middle-aged and elderly sweet pet dramas have thus become a bridge connecting audiences of different ages, allowing audiences of different ages to find their own emotional resonance in them.

Redefine the meaning of different stages

The ups and downs of the characters' lives in the drama not only make the main audience of "middle-aged and elderly people" deeply appreciate the philosophy that "life is no longer a one-shot, but contains infinite possibilities", but also make "young people" realize that each stage of life has its own unique passion and value, pursuit and meaning. This resonance and understanding across age boundaries has made the middle-aged and elderly sweet pet dramas firmly attract middle-aged and elderly audiences, and at the same time deeply touched the hearts of young audiences, inspiring their infinite expectations and beautiful hopes for future life.

The sweetness and warmth gained from TV dramas are like a stone thrown into a calm life, causing ripples. They give us the motivation to move forward. While we are immersed in the plot, they also prompt us to jump out of the fiction and examine and reflect on our own lives from a new perspective. The story will eventually end, but the journey of life still requires us to move forward.

References

[1] David Myers. Social Psychology (11th edition). Beijing: Posts and Telecommunications Press Co., Ltd., 2016.

[2] Papala, Olds, and Feldman. Developmental Psychology: From Early Adulthood to Old Age (10th Edition, Volume 2). Beijing: Posts and Telecommunications Press Co., Ltd., 2013.

[3]Cook, R., Bird, G., Catmur, C., Press, C., & Heyes, C. (2014). Mirror neurons: from origin to function. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(2), 177-192.

[4] Xia Zhengnong. The Great Dictionary of Psychology. Shanghai: Shanghai Dictionary Publishing House. 2015.

Planning and production

Author: Su Jing, National Level 2 Psychological Counselor

Reviewer: Fan Chunlei, Associate Researcher, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin