The Conrad Fisher Effect: Why the Media Obsesses Over "Broodier" Guys

With summer just around the corner and a concluding movie currently filming, fans are getting ready to rewatch Prime Video's hit series: The Summer I Turned Pretty. The series follows Belly Conklin as she's caught in a love triangle between her childhood friends, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, at their summer house at Cousins Beach. As they watched, viewers picked sides on which boy they liked the most.

Interestingly enough, even in the earlier seasons, fans opted for Conrad, the moodier one compared to his brother, who is known for being the "golden retriever" type. This caught the attention of pop culture enthusiasts and psychologists, leading to the creation of the "Conrad Fisher Effect," a media-wide phenomenon where audiences fall for emotionally complex characters over easygoing ones.

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Archetype Breakdown: The "Golden Retriever" vs The "Black Cat"

The idea of having a bright and fun character next to a moody and introspective one is actually very common in modern media, especially when targeted at Young Adult audiences. More specifically, the boys fall under the "Golden Retriever" and "Black Cat" umbrella. Even though this dynamic usually describes the main couple, it can also be used for character archetypes, as demonstrated by the brothers in this series.

Jeremiah Fisher is the "Golden Retriever" in this scenario. This term refers to individuals who are bubbly, fiercely loyal, and incredibly enthusiastic. They almost always have a positive outlook on life and often encourage others to do the same.

Despite lacking the loyalty factor, he perfectly fits this trope as he is a natural extrovert, charming, and very affectionate. In the earlier seasons, he would give Belly small gifts like a charm and teach her how to drive a stick shift. His visual design also plays into this title with his golden curls and sunkissed look.

This makes Conrad the "Black Cat," who tends to be quieter, emotionally distant, and mysterious. Instead of being open about love and emotions like their counterpart, "Black Cats" often put up walls and are very selective about whom they trust, which fits Conrad as he tends to cope with his issues in silence. Unlike Jeremiah, he shows affection subtly and pushes people away to avoid getting hurt.

He's observant when it comes to Belly, like when he noticed that she switched to contacts. Conrad also spends his time brooding or being alone, which other characters misread as anger or arrogance.

Based on these characteristics alone, it would make sense if people favored Jeremiah over Conrad due to his openness and positive personality. Human psychology even suggests that when people are perceived as warm, the brain assumes that they possess other positive traits, making us favor them. But The Summer I Turned Pretty completely flips this theory on its head.

Logically, Jeremiah should be the audience's favorite, but his brother is. This begs the question: why do audiences turn to moodier characters over warmer ones, even if they are harder to connect with?

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The Psychology Behind "The Conrad Fisher Effect"

This is where "The Conrad Fisher Effect" steps in. It refers to audiences who become hyperfixated on complex and emotionally closed-off love interests. Instead of turning away, viewers couldn't help but find themselves drawn deeper into these characters without fully understanding why. With further research, the real reasons behind Conrad's popularity become clear.

To start, he is an emotionally deep and layered character. Even though he pushed Belly and others away in the earlier seasons, viewers realized that he wasn't doing this to be mean or intentionally distant, but because he was dealing with so much at the time that he shut down. He kept his baggage to himself, struggling privately instead of forcing his issues upon others.

In psychology, this is rooted in C. Daniel Batson's empathy-altruism hypothesis, where someone sacrifices their own comfort to protect someone else's peace. While this isn't always a healthy practice and can lead to isolation, as seen with Conrad, viewers interpret this as deeply romantic and protective.

Due to his distance and struggles to voice his love for Belly, once he shows vulnerability, the audience sees it as significant. Even the slightest bit of emotion feels like a major breakthrough. Beyond it feeling rewarding to watch, psychology suggests that our brains are actually wired to see more value in an emotionally reserved character's actions rather than a constant openness of an expressive one.

This is driven by The Contrast Effect, a cognitive bias where perception becomes distorted when something is compared to another object, such as Conrad's emotional beats compared to Belly's or Jeremiah's. Because he has fewer of them, viewers become more invested in his character arc.

These very issues he's struggling with also make him feel more real compared to other characters in the series, leading viewers to form a stronger parasocial relationship with him. By looking past his flaws, the audience sees him as a loving and loyal person who's just in a bad situation, similar to those with an "I can fix him" complex, believing that he needs the right support in order to reach his full potential.

Aside from his struggles, Conrad has multiple romantic and positive qualities. He's observant towards his loved ones and acts in quieter yet meaningful gestures, such as when he bought Belly the infinity necklace to symbolize their permanent connection. Showing love through smaller acts is often more appreciated than constant grand gestures because it symbolizes consistency and deeper intimacy, according to Psychology Today.

The combination of Conrad's personal struggles, emotional depth, and romantic qualities is exactly why "The Conrad Fisher Effect" has such a strong hold on audiences today. However, despite being the name and face of this phenomenon, he isn't the first to have this effect on them. In fact, complex characters with similar archetypes have been stealing people's hearts long before the shores of Cousins Beach existed.

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Beyond Cousins Beach: A Historical Pattern of the Phenomenon

Out of The Summer I Turned Pretty franchise, there are a lot of characters with archetypes similar to Conrad Fisher. In fact, this pattern can be dated all the way back to the 1800s.

Published in 1813, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice features a mysterious character of its very own: Mr. Darcy. He's an incredibly wealthy nobleman who inherited a massive estate after his parents' tragic deaths.

However, he carries a secret family burden in order to protect his sister, leading to his struggling in silence. Similar to Conrad, he's quiet compared to other characters, as he stands in the corner of the ballroom instead of interacting with others. He also struggles to show affection to Elizabeth Bennet, so he resorts to staring at her instead.

Centuries later, this pattern would repeat itself with Jess Mariano from the 2000s hit series Gilmore Girls. Raised by an unstable mother after his father walked out on them, Jess was a troubled kid. After skipping school and getting into trouble, his mom sent him to live with his uncle in Stars Hollow.

On the outside, he is very cynical and pushes people away to avoid being abandoned again. In reality, he's actually well-read and cares deeply about Rory. Much like Conrad, Jess doesn't do grand gestures, preferring to do small yet meaningful acts of service that only she would notice and understand.

Moving from the screen to the books, Dean Redding from Jennifer Lynn Barnes's The Naturals Series stands out as another star example of this archetype. As the son of an infamous serial killer, he developed a disturbingly accurate understanding of how they think, making him the perfect profiler for the FBI's "Naturals" program. Once he joins, he is incredibly closed off due to the intense amount of guilt and self-loathing he has.

Unlike the other examples in this article, Dean pushes people away because he's scared of hurting them, fearing that he somehow inherited his father's evil. However, once he opens up to fellow profiler Cassie Hobbes later in the series, the readers value this immensely, reinforcing The Contrast Effect.

Clearly, this specific archetype has been proven to be successful in the entertainment industry for centuries. Fans remain hooked on these patterns today in the fictional universe, but what does this mean for them in the real world?

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A Lasting Impact: How the Fictional Theory Shapes Real Dating

For those who fell in love with Conrad-adjacent characters on screen, dating someone with similar behavior patterns in the real world isn't necessarily bad, but it can be exhausting and unhealthy at times.

Since expectations are changed due to this effect, it might mean they want someone with a similar romantic bandwidth. For example, they may prefer quiet acts of service rather than something public and loud or desire a strong commitment from their partner.

This is completely valid and can be healthy, but it stops being so once certain behaviors are romanticized or excused. If their partner is distant, it could be mistaken as unspoken love rather than being punished with silence, forcing them to chase after them more, which is exhausting and indicates an unhealthy one-sided relationship similar to the anxious-avoidant attachment style.

When in a relationship like that, the chase is exhausting and can take a severe mental toll on someone. Proven by The Contrast Effect mentioned previously, every little text or sign of affection feels like a massive reward when a partner is usually cold. This ultimately leads to a dangerous cycle where someone waits for their partner to open up when shut out because they believe that their partner will come around eventually, resulting in that person's self-worth relying solely on how they are treated.

Similarly, people could potentially force themselves to stay in these unfulfilling relationships simply because they believe that they can "fix" their partner. Unhealthy coping skills, such as snapping at people or shutting them out, might be seen as being "deep," leading to them perceiving their traits like they would a movie character, waiting for them to open up.

This is the "I can fix him" mindset that was mentioned before. While this partner could genuinely just be in a bad moment, behavior like that shouldn't just be excused, serving as a reminder that people can't be helped or changed unless they want to be.

While it's valid to be attracted to "brooding" characters, viewers should be careful when it comes to real-world relationships and not let fictional behavior or expectations intertwine with reality.

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The Verdict: The Broody One Wins (Sometimes)

Overall, it does make sense why so many people today are impacted by "The Conrad Fisher Effect." In a world full of artificiality, it feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience to find someone who is emotionally deep and seems real compared to everyone else. Nevertheless, it's imperative not to let fictional fantasies and characters affect real-world perceptions, as it can lead to excusing toxic behavior or mistaking it for something positive when it should be fixed.

While the "brooding" archetype currently dominates the media industry, it's crucial to remember that even though the chase is entertaining on screen, it's exhausting and emotionally damaging in real life, serving as a reminder that what we see in the movies is completely different from reality.