The Bridget Jones effect 20 years on
Not all dating advice is created equal. These articles examine popular guidance from relationship coaches, influencers, and self-help authors—separating evolutionary insight from pseudoscience and marketing.
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The Bridget Jones effect 20 years on
Why 1990s dating anxiety never went away In February 2025, Renée Zellweger returned as Bridget Jones in Mad About the Boy, the fourth film in a franchise that began over 20 years ago. The fifty-one-year-old Bridget is now widowed, navigating dating apps and Botox, still charmingly hapless. Critics noted something…
About the author
Andrew King
Author of Costly Signals: The Evolution of Dating Advice. PhD researcher with 500+ dating guides from the 1800s to today. Why do we take romantic advice from strangers? I have answers.
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Whether you’re a journalist, podcaster, or an event organizer, I’d love to hear from you. I speak on modern dating, evolutionary psychology, and a surprising history of dating advice.
© 2026, Andrew King