<p>I have seen this kind of situation a lot on movies, video games, comics and other media. Basically Alice and Bob are having a very serious, heated and hostile argument, involving a lot of shouting and even physical force. There are no hints that romantic and sexual activities could even take place. Then while they are in the middle of intense arguing, suddenly things get quiet for a few seconds. And after that Alice and Bob start kissing and making out.</p>
<p>What is the psychological explanation for this kind of situation (or &quot;trope&quot;)? Why could an argument turn into a make out session? Does this happen in real life or it's just another writer's device?</p>
<p><a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlapSlapKiss" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This is an article that describes the &quot;trope&quot;</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIJhQeUr6C4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This is an example of this &quot;trope&quot; on a TV show</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWL7MKfLQr4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Another example, involving slapping</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T08:45:29.763Z
Welcome and thanks for your post. What makes you think this phenomenon has scientific meaning?
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T11:01:44.600Z
@AliceD I'm a non-native speaker, I might misunderstand your question. Could you rephrase it? As far as I've understood, this phenomenon happens a lot in media so I wonder if there is a psychological explanation behind it.
MattCat15
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T11:30:41.847Z
Not every occurring phenomenon shown in the media may have a definition, or a name, let alone a scientific underpinning
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T11:48:41.633Z
I wouldn't brush it off with "not scientific" gatekeeping.. It has surfaced in all sorts of unconnected  cultures. Just because we can't scientifically prove something in a natural science does not make that the phenomenon is non-existent. I think its something close to why people tend to say 'makeup sex' is very arousing.. The heightened aggression and animosity is channeled into a sexual energy.. I'm sure some people in lab coats would disagree..
DMin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T12:08:58.087Z
@DMin At last some helpful comment, thank you for your piece of information. Anyway, this StackExchange site is named "Psychology[ & Neuroscience]", so psychology related questions should be welcomed. If one doesn't have an answer for a question, it's fine because someone else will. If not, we have some new topic to research and explore. People should come here (as well as other StackExchange pages) for answers, not for doubt. To AliceD: Could you point out where is the non-scientific aspect in my question? If there are any violations to any rules by asking this question, also let me know.
MattCat15
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T12:21:38.907Z
@DMin - we get a lot of questions where all sorts of observations are thrown on the site with the question whether there's a scientific name for it, or whether it's been investigated anywhere. I'm not trying *brushing it off* and I'm not *gatekeeping* either. I'm just kindly asking for the underlying motivation why the phenomenon should have scientific grounds. No more, no less. The current framing is based on TV clips only. Solid backgrounds attract high quality answers. I don't have an answer to the question, nor whether is has scientific meaning in any way. Just asking for clarifications.
AliceD
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T15:29:38.157Z
@MattCat15 The meta discussion here might be relevant: https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/q/2374/14382 There are a lot of "name this phenomenon" sorts of questions here that the community got a bit bored/fed up with. Science doesn't usually set out to explain phenomena seen in movies, but rather real issues in real people's lives. One problem with this sort of question is that if the answer is "no" there will be no way to demonstrate this with an answer that meets the site standards for referencing.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-08T16:59:37.507Z
@AliceD Agree with you - You know, I don't think "slap kiss" research is going to get funding anytime soon.. 

As a naïve learner, I want to know, are there any broad frameworks that explain, predict or conceptualize sexual interplay in humans..  or are we not there yet?
DMin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-09T08:52:56.227Z
I would put this down to the fact that it is fiction on show.
Chris Rogers
<social-psychology><emotion><behavior><sexuality>
Psychological explanation for the situations (in TV, movies, video games, etc.) in which a heated argument turns into a make out session
MattCat15
# Psychological explanation for the situations (in TV, movies, video games, etc.) in which a heated argument turns into a make out session

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-07)

I have seen this kind of situation a lot on movies, video games, comics and other media. Basically Alice and Bob are having a very serious, heated and hostile argument, involving a lot of shouting and even physical force. There are no hints that romantic and sexual activities could even take place. Then while they are in the middle of intense arguing, suddenly things get quiet for a few seconds. And after that Alice and Bob start kissing and making out.

What is the psychological explanation for this kind of situation (or "trope")? Why could an argument turn into a make out session? Does this happen in real life or it's just another writer's device?

[This is an article that describes the "trope"](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlapSlapKiss)

[This is an example of this "trope" on a TV show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIJhQeUr6C4)

[Another example, involving slapping](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWL7MKfLQr4)

**Tags:** social-psychology, emotion, behavior, sexuality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome and thanks for your post. What makes you think this phenomenon has scientific meaning?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I'm a non-native speaker, I might misunderstand your question. Could you rephrase it? As far as I've understood, this phenomenon happens a lot in media so I wonder if there is a psychological explanation behind it.  
> **username_1**: Not every occurring phenomenon shown in the media may have a definition, or a name, let alone a scientific underpinning  
> **username_2**: I wouldn't brush it off with "not scientific" gatekeeping.. It has surfaced in all sorts of unconnected  cultures. Just because we can't scientifically prove something in a natural science does not make that the phenomenon is non-existent. I think its something close to why people tend to say 'makeup sex' is very arousing.. The heightened aggression and animosity is channeled into a sexual energy.. I'm sure some people in lab coats would disagree..  
> **username_0**: @username_2 At last some helpful comment, thank you for your piece of information. Anyway, this StackExchange site is named "Psychology[ & Neuroscience]", so psychology related questions should be welcomed. If one doesn't have an answer for a question, it's fine because someone else will. If not, we have some new topic to research and explore. People should come here (as well as other StackExchange pages) for answers, not for doubt. To username_1: Could you point out where is the non-scientific aspect in my question? If there are any violations to any rules by asking this question, also let me know.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 - we get a lot of questions where all sorts of observations are thrown on the site with the question whether there's a scientific name for it, or whether it's been investigated anywhere. I'm not trying *brushing it off* and I'm not *gatekeeping* either. I'm just kindly asking for the underlying motivation why the phenomenon should have scientific grounds. No more, no less. The current framing is based on TV clips only. Solid backgrounds attract high quality answers. I don't have an answer to the question, nor whether is has scientific meaning in any way. Just asking for clarifications.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 The meta discussion here might be relevant: https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/q/2374/14382 There are a lot of "name this phenomenon" sorts of questions here that the community got a bit bored/fed up with. Science doesn't usually set out to explain phenomena seen in movies, but rather real issues in real people's lives. One problem with this sort of question is that if the answer is "no" there will be no way to demonstrate this with an answer that meets the site standards for referencing.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 Agree with you - You know, I don't think "slap kiss" research is going to get funding anytime soon..   As a naïve learner, I want to know, are there any broad frameworks that explain, predict or conceptualize sexual interplay in humans..  or are we not there yet?  
> **username_4**: I would put this down to the fact that it is fiction on show.  

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## 0 answers

