When does a relationship become parasocial?

THE first exams Parasocial relationships emerged in the 1950s, when psychologists tried to understand how viewers responded to TV hosts, anchors and personalities who spoke directly to them from the screen – a new concept at the time. This sparked concern that viewers at home would not be able to differentiate between the relationships they had with a television personality and those they had with “real” people – “victim(s) ) from the “magic mirror” like Richard Horton. and Donald Wohl described it in the 1956 article that coined the term “parasocial interaction.”

Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers began to hypothesize that the formation of parasocial relationships was driven by loneliness and isolation, and that lonelier people were more likely to form strong parasocial relationships. as compensation.

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

Stever is the author of books including The psychology of fame and the recently published Parasocial experiences, co-written with David Giles, the latter uses evolutionary psychology to examine the role of parasocial attachments in society and culture.

“As humans, we have a brain programmed for survival and reproduction,” she points out. If a character or celebrity brings a person a sense of comfort, safety, and security, “(your) brain doesn’t care whether (you) know that person in real life or not” – it will automatically form a lasting attachment.