The Psychology behind Love Island - “It is what it is” or is it?

Amongst the sun, sea, and sponsorship deals, lies a villa in the heart of Majorca. A villa adorned with swimwear, sunscreen, and over 70 cameras watching the every move of a conveyor belt of contestants, heading to the summer hottest reality TV show. This ladies and gentlemen, is Love Island.
 
Love Island has been on our screens since 2015 and now beginning it’s 8th series, with around 36 contestants gracing our screens over the 8 week show. So, is Love Island just Gen Z’s using their time on the daily primetime show to gain media fame and followers - or is there an underlying social experiment behind the love searching singletons than meets the eye - absolutely.
 
The popularity of Love Island first of all is seen by the daily ritual of a 9pm primetime slots, whereby over 3 million people (ITV, 2022) watched the trials and tribulations, the love and laughter, the heart make and heart break of the opening episode for this years extravaganza. This 8 week reality shows may give the general public viewers an element of escapism from everyday affairs, watching the drama unfold with real people and real lives. So what makes this show so popular, and why do we watch it? What is the drive behind the storylines, is there more to it than just looking for love - and why are we so invested?

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