Like many women of Generation X, Sex and the City (SATC) has been a cultural mainstay in my life. The TV show--which follows the life and loves of four women living in Manhattan--was my introduction into all things cosmopolitan: hip NYC restaurants, couture fashion, and Manolo Blahniks.
Science is a process by which we advance knowledge. And this process starts with a question that we pose about the world around us. By this definition, Carrie Bradshaw was more of a social scientist than most other TV characters I've ever watched. Carrie's trade-mark inquisitive phrase, "I couldn't help but wonder...," served as the crux of each episode's story line, as viewers watched Carrie pose and find answers to questions about dating, marriage, sex, and gender relations.
Of course, this is where the similarities between SATC and Science end. Social scientists use these questions to derive testable hypotheses and then examine their hypotheses empirically, by systematically collecting data measuring variables of interest. Carrie Bradshaw, on the other hand, answered her questions by observing her own and her friends' experiences (can anyone say nonrandom sample?) in a nonsystematic way. In that sense, while the conclusions she drew may have been valid about her own peer group (i.e., white middle- to upper-class women living in NYC), they may not necessarily have had much external validity.
One question that plagued Carrie throughout the show was whether she should stay in her tumultuous relationship with "Mr. Big." After years of on-again-off-again dating, Mr. Big suddenly decided to move to Paris without Carrie. Once again, Mr. Big demonstrated that he was emotionally unavailable and unwilling to invest his full self in the relationship. Understandably, (spoiler alert!) Carrie broke up with him. Viewed through a social psychological lens, the perceived low investment from her partner caused her have low commitment to her relationship and she ultimately ended it. But, the question is: Is this effect idiosyncratic to Carrie's individual experience, or does it reflect a broader trend that can be replicated through systematic data collection?
As it turns out, recent research suggests that Carrie's experience does characterize the dynamics of romantic relationships, more broadly (Joel, Gordon, Impett, MacDonald, & Keltner, 2013). In an experimental Internet-based study, young adults (all of whom were currently in a romantic relationship) were randomly assigned to think about either: 1) ways in which their partner had invested in their relationship, 2) ways in which they had invested in their relationship, or 3) nothing. Results demonstrated that participants who thought about their partner's investments later felt most committed (i.e., their intention to stay in the relationship) – even more committed than participants who had thought about their own investments! Two additional daily diary studies--in which participants reported their partner's level of investment each day for a week--found that greater perceived partner investment predicted greater relationship commitment 3- and 9-months later.
Despite their stark differences in methodological approach, Carrie's own constant questioning of the dynamics of social interaction--in her own life and in the lives of others--makes her more of a social scientist than some might otherwise think. And if the SATC creators adopt a "Carrie Goes to Grad School" plot for a sequel movie, Carrie Bradshaw might just develop the methodological tools to put her ideas about life and love to the empirical test.
[Submitted by: Prof. Chaudoir]
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