Are Parasocial Relationships Healthy?

Parasocial relationships are nothing new. They’ve been around for years. But due to recent technological advances in the past few decades, parasocial relationships have been on the rise. With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe this year, many of us have relied on technology to connect with one another, whether it be with family or friends. Since technology is the best way to connect with people nowadays, we can also build relationships with public figures such as content creators, but especially with celebrities. The specific type of relationships that we, non-celebrities, form with these celebrities is a parasocial relationship.

What Exactly Is A Parasocial Relationship?

A parasocial relationship, also known as parasocial interaction, is a one-sided relationship between celebrities and non-celebrities. In this type of relationship, the non-celebrity is an individual who exerts more time and energy into the relationship. To be more specific, the non-celebrity will feel a personal one-on-one connection with the celebrity while the celebrity is unaware of the relationship. An example of a parasocial relationship would be how sometimes non-celebrities devote time learning all they can about a celebrity. While the celebrity, on the other hand, does nothing to learn about the non-celebrity.

Parasocial relationships are most often seen after the death of a beloved celebrity. One example of a parasocial relationship in action was the death of Fred Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers, in late February 2003.

“Like one of his signature zippered cardigans, Mr. Rogers symbolized warmth, comfort, and reassurance for TV viewers in Pittsburgh and beyond. And yesterday, the world felt just a little colder, emptier and less gentle after Mr. Rogers’ distinctive voice was silenced by a brief, lethal bout with cancer.”

— Rob Owen and Barbara Vancheri (( Owen, Rob and Vancheri, Barbara, “Fred Rogers Dies at 74” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2003. ))

When the news of Rogers’s death hit, many newspapers were filled with letters or remembrances from viewers of his television show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The letters described how Rogers and his show had a part in raising them (( Pro, Johnna A, “Children Write Their Own Remembrance of Mister Rogers” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2003. )). Although Mister Rogers wasn’t there physically, his everyday presence on his viewers’ television screens played a vital part in shaping who they became.

Are These Relationships Unhealthy?

Due to various media outlets, such as social media, television, or gossip sites, non-celebrities are always shown more of celebrities. To be more specific, non-celebrities are shown more details of various celebrities’ personal lives, such as their love lives or eating habits. With this, non-celebrities begin to believe that these celebrities have become a part of their everyday social circle. As a result, some people have started to view parasocial relationships as being something abnormal or unhealthy.

Despite the stigma that some hold over parasocial relationships, these relationships are actually an important and normal aspect of life, especially to those who are adolescents (( Gleason, Tracy R., Newberg Emily, and Theran, Sally A, “Parasocial Interactions and Relationships in Early Adolescence” Frontiers in Psychology, volume 8, (2017) )). In fact, this type of relationship can even be beneficial to an individual. For example, unlike real-life relationships, parasocial relationships lack the fear of anxiety from rejection and embarrassment. So, this allows for people to form relationships without the fear of being rejected easily. In addition, since these relationships are one-sided, a non-celebrity can easily end the relationship with the celebrity whenever they wish without fear of negative consequences.

Another example of this relationship being beneficial is that they can help improve the non-celebrities social interaction skills. One of the most common arguments being made over this type of relationship is that they allow for social avoidance. However, a person could engage in many forms of social interaction based on a common interest that is stemmed from a parasocial relationship. For instance, joining and participating in a fandom is a common route that non-celebrities take. A good majority of the time, many non-celebrities within a fandom end up interacting with one another and become friends.

Are There Downsides To This Type Of Relationship?

While parasocial relationships are not abnormal or unhealthy, there are some downsides to them. What many non-celebrities end up doing is that they hold celebrities onto a pedestal and begin to use these relationships they have formed as a crutch in their life. Ultimately, what can end up happening is that since parasocial relationships are one-sided, a non-celebrity can create and rehearse scripts they have made in their head of how relationships in real life should be handled.

Another downside is that there is a chance that a non-celebrity could forget that the relationship they have with the celebrity is one-sided. Meaning, the non-celebrity starts to believe that they are actually friends with the celebrity. Ultimately, the non-celebrity ends forgetting that the celebrity has no idea who they are and that they aren’t really friends.

While these downsides to parasocial relationships are valid arguments, these relationships are still a normal part of life that is beneficial to an individual. As a species, we need social interaction for our psychological survival. If someone struggles with forming relationships or having social interactions in real life (meaning that they lack social interactions), they can easily form a parasocial relationship. Even though a parasocial relationship is a one-sided relationship, it is still a form of social interaction. So, parasocial relationships can be used as a way to help with psychological survival.

Should Parasocial Relationships Be Formed?

Despite the negative stigmas these relationships hold, parasocial relationships are a normal part of life, especially when considering the digital age that we are currently in. These relationships can help impact our lives for the better, as evidenced by the example of Fred Rogers and his fans.

They also provide comfortable and easy access to social interactions and allow for companionship and intimacy to occur. Even though there are downsides to this type of relationship, the benefits that come with them, like helping with our psychological survival, hold more value. In the end, non-celebrities should not be afraid or feel ashamed to form parasocial relationships because they are normal and beneficial.