What Are Parasocial Relationships, and Why Are We So Drawn to Them?
Parasocial relationships have been perceived as unhealthy obsessions. However, research suggests otherwise.
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You know their face. You know their voice. You know their favourite food, their pets and perhaps their relationship history. You may even feel happy when they succeed and strangely betrayed when they mess up. There is just one inconvenient detail: they don't know you.
This relationship has a name. Researchers have termed this illusion of intimacy that people feel towards celebrities a parasocial relationship.
Parasocial was named Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year in 2025. Defined as ‘involving or relating to a connection that someone feels between themselves and a famous person they do not know, a character in a book, film, TV series, etc., or an artificial intelligence’, the term was first coined in 1956.
Research suggests that these one-sided relationships are psychologically powerful in influencing thoughts and behaviours, in ways similar to two-sided relationships with friends and family.
Although parasocial relationships are not inherently negative, they can become problematic when they develop into unhealthy emotional attachment or obsession.
How Do These One-Sided Relationships Fulfil Us?
Contrary to popular belief, parasocial relationships (PSR) have been shown to benefit people. According to a study in Nature, parasocial relationships help people fulfil needs that are not met by the existing two-sided relationships in their lives. For example, someone who is lonely can find solace in watching their favourite television series or by listening to a celebrity talking about their struggles.
While a parasocial relationships cannot replace a two-sided human connection, it can serve as an additional source of emotional fulfilment.
(Photo: The Quint)
The same study also highlights that recent research suggests parasocial relationships may have advantages compared to standard two-sided relationships 'because they offer a more consistent social resource.’
Human beings with specialised social networks to fulfil each emotional need are associated with greater well-being than people whose relationships fulfil multiple emotional needs. In such a scenario, the study suggests that a parasocial relationship can help, since expanding your social circle is not easy.
This means that people need not depend on a few people for all emotional needs, and these needs can be fulfilled by these one-sided relationships. It is important to remember that these relationships serve as an add-on to the existing two-sided relationships and do not replace them.
The study also found that people with higher self-esteem reported that PSRs provide reliable support similar to two-sided relationships, despite the popular belief that one-sided relationships cannot respond or validate.
According to this, people with higher self-esteem turn to PSRs when they face any social threat, such as rejection from their friend. In such situations, they find PSRs highly responsive to their needs.
Another study on people with low self-esteem (LSE) and parasocial relationships notes that these relationships help them in certain ways. Since people with LSE miss out on the opportunity of bridging the gap with their ideal self, they can fulfil this through parasocial relationships. To simplify, PRSs can help these individuals feel like or become who they want to be, which is their ideal selves. Since there is no risk of rejection, parasocial relationships provide a ‘safe alternative’.
Finding a Sense of Belonging Online
Another proven advantage of parasocial relationships is that they help build connections with people online who share similar interests. It is very common for adolescents to form a community online based on shared interests such as a band, their favourite film star or even sports teams.
Whether it be people discussing their theories on the new season of a television series or creating fan pages dedicated to a book series can help people form communities that they couldn't find outside the internet.
Furthermore, they might often identify with characters on-screen or media figures, which could help them understand themselves or feel accepted.
Tracy Gleason, the chair of the Psychology department at Wellesley College, said, “Imagine a trans kid growing up in a community in which being transgender is simply not acceptable. Finding people on the internet who embody and embrace a trans identity could be critical to someone's well-being, mental health, and potentially survival.”
A recent article by The Conversation explored how the British coming-of-age series, Heartstopper, helped fans find a community. The positive representation of queer love, among an array of films that show tragic queer stories, sparked hope among fans watching the series.
While this is just one example, numerous young adult television series and movies over the years have started moving towards the portrayal of happy endings for queer characters, which gives hope to the viewers.
While a PRS cannot replace a two-sided human connection, it can serve as an additional source of emotional fulfilment.
However, there are instances where people have taken it too far. For example, when people cross the boundaries of the relationship and expect celebrities to engage with them, it becomes a violation of their privacy. It may take the form of waiting outside celebrities’ private residences, stalking them while they travel, or exposing their private information to the public.
News reports on incidents in which fans crossed personal boundaries with celebrities.
News reports on incidents in which fans crossed personal boundaries with celebrities.
News reports on incidents in which fans crossed personal boundaries with celebrities.
News reports on incidents in which fans crossed personal boundaries with celebrities.
News reports on incidents in which fans crossed personal boundaries with celebrities.
Parasocial relationships, or celebrity worship culture as a concept, are not necessarily bad. Children and young adults often find acceptance through their connection with celebrities; it helps build confidence. Often, children who experience loneliness find solace in their relationships with these celebrities and feel a sense of belonging. It only becomes an issue when people completely withdraw from reality and start living in an internet bubble.
While there is nothing wrong with reading about your favourite singer’s skincare routine or watching interviews with an actor, it is important to maintain boundaries and not turn admiration into intrusion.