cheryl
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The persistent myth of finding love on a plane - Vox
Why do cramped seats, gross food, and no personal space make us think of … romance?
When Rosey Blair witnessed two people flirting in nearby seats on a flight, she decided to document their fledgling romance on Instagram and Twitter. She eavesdropped on their conversation, sharing it with her followers, and even snapped a picture of the two exchanging family photos. Her initial tweet got more than 300,000 retweets, and what could have been a passing observation transformed into a viral sensation — one that was criticized for being invasive and creepy.
But it’s likely that its original draw — why the tweet garnered so much interest in the first place — was partly because it’s the kind of reasonable serendipity that feels not too far-fetched to believe in. At this point, I’ve accepted Matthew McConaughey isn’t going to save me from a runaway dumpster after my heel gets caught in a grate. But an attractive single person sitting in the airplane seat next to me? Now that seems plausible. And a 2018 study, which surveyed 5,000 flyers across 141 countries, did find that one in every 50 people said they met the love of their life on a flight. (Which … seems high, so grain of salt.)
Why do cramped seats, gross food, and no personal space make us think of … romance?
When Rosey Blair witnessed two people flirting in nearby seats on a flight, she decided to document their fledgling romance on Instagram and Twitter. She eavesdropped on their conversation, sharing it with her followers, and even snapped a picture of the two exchanging family photos. Her initial tweet got more than 300,000 retweets, and what could have been a passing observation transformed into a viral sensation — one that was criticized for being invasive and creepy.
But it’s likely that its original draw — why the tweet garnered so much interest in the first place — was partly because it’s the kind of reasonable serendipity that feels not too far-fetched to believe in. At this point, I’ve accepted Matthew McConaughey isn’t going to save me from a runaway dumpster after my heel gets caught in a grate. But an attractive single person sitting in the airplane seat next to me? Now that seems plausible. And a 2018 study, which surveyed 5,000 flyers across 141 countries, did find that one in every 50 people said they met the love of their life on a flight. (Which … seems high, so grain of salt.)