Understanding Loneliness

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Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are one-sided emotional bonds where individuals invest their time, effort, energy, emotions, and feelings into a well-known media figure, such as a celebrity, influencer, or fictional character from a book or movie, who is not aware of their existence.

Often, teenagers feel secure in parasocial relationships when they admire an idol and become his/her fans, though they are separated from them by space and time. In this case, love, admiration, and devotion are directed from one party to the other, but the other does not receive it in a direct one-to-one manner. For example, I used to be a long-time Nick Carter fan (of the Backstreet Boys), while my cousin worried about my emotions being one-sided and going to waste. I always assured her that he was just an idol for me.

Parasocial relationships are often characterized by an "illusion of intimacy." The affection sender—that is, the admirer—feels love, admiration, and attraction, and feels they know, trust, and have a personal friendship with the persona, despite the lack of direct, reciprocal, or face-to-face interaction. For instance, dozens of........

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