Are parasocial connections helpful or harmful?

The wedding performed during the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show embodied Bad Bunny's message of "love over hate." Apparently, the couple connected so strongly to the artist's music and message that they wanted his energy to be present at their wedding. They extended an invitation to Bad Bunny, who responded by inviting them to get married during his performance. He even served as an official witness and signed their marriage certificate. So far, this couple appears to be placing this encounter in its proper perspective, treating it as a magical moment rather than an actual friendship with their idol.

While this story had a fairy tale ending, fandom can be fatal. Take the deaths of celebrities like Selena, John Lennon, and Rebecca Shaeffer, all at the hands of fans whose obsession with their idols turned pathological. More recently, Taylor Swift has spent years dealing with stalkers.

Such connections are becoming increasingly common in our 24/7, globally interconnected universe. Thanks to social media, we can learn the most seemingly intimate details about celebrities whose work speaks to our hearts. Sometimes we know more about those we admire from afar than we do about those we interact with in real life.

Such one-sided connections are called parasocial relationships, a term first used by Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl in 1956.

Dr. Gauri Khurana, MD, a clinical instructor in the department of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, defines parasocial relationships as "one-sided emotional bonds that form when someone feels psychologically connected to a public figure/celebrity and this is key, the celebrity does not know them personally."

In her observation, these combinations develop through repeated exposure and perceived intimacy. Over time, the audience member begins to experience the figure as familiar, emotionally meaningful, and psychologically present in their life, despite the absence of a reciprocal relationship. 

The benefits of parasocial relationships

While this behavior may sound a bit obsessive and unhealthy, Dr. Khurana says that at their most benign, these dynamics reflect normal human longing for connection and identification. She notes, "In many cases, they can have beneficial psychological functions, particularly when they are grounded in inspiration rather than substitution for real-life connection."

For example, Dr. Khurana points to motivational modeling as a primary benefit of a parasocial relationship. "When someone follows a public figure whose work, values, or achievements resonate with them, that connection can function as a form of aspirational scaffolding. It can help individuals clarify their own goals, imagine different life paths, and feel less alone in pursuing ambitions that may not be reflected in their immediate environment."

At their healthiest, Dr. Khurana says that parasocial bonds operate more like mentorship at a distance than emotional dependency. "The individual feels inspired, energized, or guided, but remains anchored in their own life. The relationship fuels forward movement rather than replacing real-world engagement."

In addition, these relationships can provide emotional affirmation. For example, seeing a celebrity speak openly about their struggles, identity, or lived experiences can reduce shame and foster a sense of belonging, especially for individuals who feel marginalized or underrepresented in their communities. 

When parasocial relationships become problematic

Repeated exposure to curated personal content can cause one to develop a sense of emotional familiarity or belonging that exceeds the actual depth of the relationship. The problem arises when a person's parasocial relationships begin to displace, rather than supplement, their everyday functioning.

According to Dr. Khurana, one of the clearest warning signs is if a person's real-life relationships become less important than the parasocial ones. She notes, "If someone finds themselves investing more emotional energy in a public figure than in their in-person relationships, or preferring mediated connection to reciprocal intimacy, the bond is no longer serving an adaptive role. The parasocial connection begins to function as a psychological stand-in for closeness that feels safer than real relationships."

Another marker she notes is perceived overfamiliarity. In her estimation, "Individuals may feel they know the figure deeply, sometimes better than they feel known by their friends or even themselves.This can create a distorted sense of intimacy that is not grounded in mutual exchange."

Other common signals include comparison and emotional volatility. When admiration shifts into chronic comparison, inadequacy, jealousy, or self-criticism, the relationship stops being aspirational and starts eroding self-esteem. At this juncture, the achievements or lifestyle of the person being admired can begin to feel demeaning rather than inspiring.

Also, tune into and be aware when one's behavior becomes more intrusive and obsessive through actions such as compulsive content consumption (a.k.a. doomscrolling), preoccupation with the public figure’s life, or mood fluctuations tied to their actions or online presence. At the most extreme, a one-sided parasocial bond can be so intoxicating that one's real-life relationships feel more hollow than the curated persona they encounter online.

Parasocial dynamics in real-life relationships

As Dr. Khurana observes, "Parasocial dynamics become more psychologically complex when they form around people we know in real life, especially those that we know and interact with peripherally such as a casual acquaintance or coworker. Here the relationship is not purely imagined, as there are some interactions between both parties. However, this relationship is not fully reciprocal as the other party is not responding in ways that indicate an actual friendship is forming." Instead, this connection exists in what Dr. Khurana describes as "an ambiguous middle space where limited real interaction becomes amplified through observation, projection, and fantasy."

In her experience, this dynamic often happens during periods of vulnerability or loneliness. Because the person exists within one’s actual orbit, they connect with them via everyday interactions, small kindnesses, or neutral gestures. These experiences can easily take on disproportionate meaning when one begins to misinterpret signals, leading to narratives about mutual interest or emotional intimacy that are not grounded in reality.

Unlike celebrity-focused parasocial bonds, where the lack of reciprocity is obvious, these proximal parasocial attachments can blur perceptual boundaries. Observing someone’s personal posts such as relationship stress or life transitions may further fuel projection and fantasy.

The psychological risk here lies in confusing access with intimacy. Dr. Khurana reminds us that exposure to someone’s life does not equate to relational mutuality. "When that distinction erodes, individuals may begin to doubt their own perceptions or overinterpret interpersonal cues—this is ripe for gaslighting and creating delusions," she adds.

Detangling from a parasocial relationship

To treat these problematic attachments, Dr. Khurana states that the goal is not to eliminate media engagement, but to restore psychological boundaries and proportionality. The first step is awareness. As parasocial dynamics intensify gradually and insidiously, individuals may not notice the shift from casual interest to emotional preoccupation until the bond begins to occupy disproportionate mental space. 

"Simply recognizing that the relationship is one-sided and mediated can help reestablish cognitive clarity," Dr. Khurana opines. Once one achieves a state of awareness, the next step is to establish behavioral boundaries. This may include limiting content consumption, unfollowing or muting accounts, or avoiding deep dives into comment threads, personal histories, or real-time tracking of the individual’s activities. 

In situations where the parasocial focus involves someone in one’s real-life orbit, such as a work colleague or casual acquaintance, firmer structural boundaries are necessary. Dr. Khurana recommends keeping one's professional and personal digital worlds separate, avoiding social media monitoring, and reducing exposure to curated personal content, which can prevent misinterpretation and emotional entanglement.

Also, she finds it helpful to redirect relational energy back into reciprocal connections. Strengthening friendships, pursuing shared activities, and investing in real-world intimacy help rebalance attachment needs that may have been displaced into the parasocial sphere.

Once we strengthen our real-life connections, we can be inspired by the Bad Bunnys in our lives without falling prey to magical thinking that we're forming an actual relationship. Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, they might accept our invitation to join us at an intimate event. But armed with this awareness, even if we actually meet our heroes, we can view this experience as a once-in-a-lifetime experience and not the start of an actual relationship.