What do parasocial relationships do to our brains?

When does a relationship become parasocial?

first examinations The emergence of parasocial relationships came in the 1950s, when psychologists tried to understand how television viewers responded to anchors, presenters, and TV personalities who spoke to them directly off-screen; This was a new concept at that time. This caused concern that viewers at home might not be able to tell the difference between their relationship with a television personality and their relationship with “real” people who were, as Richard Horton put it, “victim(s) of the ‘magic mirror’.” and Donald Wohl described the coining of the phrase “parasocial interaction” in his 1956 article.

Later in the 70s and 80s, scientists began to hypothesize that forming parasocial relationships stemmed from loneliness and isolation, and that lonely people were more likely to form strong parasocial relationships as compensation.

But Gayle Stever, a professor at SUNY Empire and an expert on parasocial relationships, says further research has not confirmed this hypothesis. “Yes, lonely people form parasocial relationships,” he says, “but they also Negative-lonely people who are just as likely to connect with that person on the screen.”

Stever is the author of the following books: Celebrity Psychology and recently released Parasocial Experiences, Written with David Giles; The second uses evolutionary psychology to examine the role of parasocial bonds in society and culture.

“We as humans have a brain that is hardwired to survive and reproduce,” he notes. If a character or celebrity gives a person a feeling of comfort, safety, and security, “(your) brain doesn’t care whether you know that person in real life”; It will automatically create a permanent link.