We can feel seen when celebrities share personal struggles.

Parasocial relationships can reduce loneliness and create emotional connection.

One-sided connections can shift from being helpful to emotionally dependent.

It's possible to engage with these connections while maintaining real-life support.

People want to be seen. There’s something comforting in realizing that what you are experiencing is not yours alone.

So often, emotions sit unspoken, leaving people to assume they are the ones carrying them. When someone else names that feeling, it can bring a sense of validation that is hard to find elsewhere.

That is where parasocial relationships can be helpful. Parasocial relationships are one-sided emotional connections with public figures that don’t involve direct interaction but still feel meaningful, especially when someone’s vulnerability reflects something you’ve been trying to understand within yourself.

Why certain voices stay with us

What sticks with people isn’t necessarily who said it or even what they said, but the authenticity and vulnerability they share that draw us in. It’s a certain familiarity where we feel seen when a celebrity shares something that feels private, a lyric that captures a kind of loneliness you have not been able to explain, an interview where someone speaks about anxiety without trying to resolve it neatly, or a conversation about therapy with no ‌strings attached.

For example, when Noah Kahan talks about mental health in his music and in his documentary, it doesn’t feel distant, especially since he’s been so open about it on social media and in interviews. Other examples include when Pedro Pascal speaks about his anxiety in interviews without trying to frame it as something to overcome, just something he lives with, or how Taraji P. Henson speaks openly about therapy and mental health while creating access for others through her advocacy work.

When we see people like celebrities share their struggles, it helps us see them more as humans and as people we look up to.

What often gets overlooked is why this resonates so deeply. These moments give language to something that may have felt unclear or difficult to express. Instead of sitting with a vague sense of anxiety or sadness, people begin to understand what........

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