How many times have you opened Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook and are met with news of the newest celebrity breakup? Your heart falls a bit before wondering what all the juicy details are behind the split. Similarly, we see stories covering two celebrities spotted a little too close together in public. Take the latest rumor with Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson, as an example. The media creates an entire rumor about a possible blossoming romance; we love to gossip about all the new celebrity pairs. We feel as though we knew them personally, so much so that it hurts or excites us when they break up. Why are we so caught up in the love lives of celebrities? 

The answer may lie in a psychological concept called parasocial relationships. Parasocial Relationships are one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party is completely unaware of the other’s existence. This is the relationship we form with celebrity personas. 

Forming a parasocial relationship with celebrities causes us to be fully invested in their personal lives: we want to be involved with everything they do. It not only provides entertainment but we learn to idolize them. They are seen as figures we admire and want to emulate. Not only are we interested in the individual, but of course we are interested in who they associate with. 

Their dating lives are just as interesting as the individuals themselves. We want to know all the thrilling details of how the couple came to be, where they had their first date, how they feel about each other, and their new celeb ship name. Being in a parasocial relationship with celebrities is truly wanting to be a part of their world and what better way to do this than by obsessing over their relationships?