Celebrity Crushes: The role of understanding attitudes and relationships

Significance: The significance of studying parasocial relationships is to show how it can improve the feeling of belonging, being comfortable, and soothe a person's social rejection worries. Research question: What are the effects of parasocial relationships with opposite-sex celebrities (i.e., celebrity “crushes�) on mood, idealization of relationships, and satisfaction and commitment with people’s “real� relationships? Methodology: To examine this research question, I will conduct an experimental study. All participants (N=150) will currently be in romantic relationships of at least four months in length. There will be three experimental conditions (celebrity crush experimental condition, real-life crush control condition, and neutral control condition). The procedure for the celebrity crush condition will be for participants to write for three minutes straight about an opposite-sex celebrity of interest (i.e., their celebrity crush). The real-life crush condition will have the same writing procedure except the participant will write about an opposite-sex person of interest in real life (i.e., their real-life crush). In the control condition, participants will write for three minutes describing all the items in their bedroom in as much detail as possible. After completing this essay task, all participants will complete questionnaires including mood, relationship idealization, relationship satisfaction, and relationship commitment. Prediction: I predict exposure to celebrity crushes will increase negative mood, increase relationship idealization, and decrease satisfaction with and commitment to participants’ “real� relationship in comparison to the two control conditions. ; Sociology, Department of ; Honors College