Cancel your Friday night plans, as along with our love of doughnuts, McCoy crisps, and drinking straight vodka, now science says watching our favourite romcoms is bad for you.

A new study from the University of Michigan suggests women who watch movies like High Fidelity or Love Actually (yes, two of our favourite friday night guilty pleasures) regularly are more accepting of aggressive male behaviour.

The study called 'I Did It Because I Never Stopped Loving You', by the gender expert Julia R Lippman, of the University of Michigan, looked at how we responded to questions after watching films with differing themes. And women who watched lots of romcoms – like There's Something About Mary - that featured persistent romantic pursuit – aka men who refuse to give up on their loved ones - were more likely to accept stalking myths.

‘After watching excerpts from one of these six films, participants completed a series of survey measures, including one that assessed their endorsement of stalking myths, stalking myths are false or exaggerated beliefs about stalking that minimise its seriousness, which means that someone who more strongly endorses these tends to take stalking less seriously,’ Lippman said in the report.

So what to do? Well here are some non-rom-coms out at the cinema now.

The Martian

youtubeView full post on Youtube

Matt Damon at his best and stuck on Mars, after he was presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. Now how wil he get back?

Brooklyn

Saoirse Ronan stars as Eilis Lacey, a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn and first love. 

The Revenant

Watch Leonardo Dicaprio epic adventure of survival, and decide whether you think he deserves the Oscar. 

Spotlight

Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams join forces for this true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation within the local Catholic Archdiocese.

Room

Actress Brie Larson plays a woman who along with her 5-year-old son is held captive for years in a tiny room for years.