In a group, a real element is an element which is conjugate to its inverse. These elements may or may not exist in a given group. We will discuss this notion and mention some of its aspects, its connections with some other branches of mathematics. We also will discuss the case of algebraic groups and some results on the structure of real elements in such groups, mention some open questions in the area. The talk should be understandable to anyone with background in basic group theory and linear algebra.