Taylor Swift takes the stage each night of her “Eras” tour to an arena full of enthusiastic fans, some of whom paid a pretty penny for their tickets, dressed head-to-toe in Swift-inspired fashion, and willingly spent hours standing in line for tour merchandise. But the stanning of Swift doesn’t end there. There are individuals who go the extra mile by attending the singer’s concert film, actively engaging in Swiftie content online, and even eagerly show up to a Kansas City Chiefs game in hopes of catching a glimpse of her cheering on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
While some might call this deep admiration the nature of being a fan, others might label it as an obsession. However, the categorization of such behavior isn’t subjective. Instead, it’s a study of levels of celebrity worship that might tell us something about the cognitive and psychological abilities of the worshippers themselves.
What exactly is celebrity worship? According to psychologist Lynn McCutcheon, it’s a phenomenon of increased admiration toward a famous person, which sometimes manifests in an excessive interest in the celebrity’s life. The editor-in-chief of the North American Journal of Psychology has spent years researching fan behavior, finding that while it can be innocent, celebrity worship can also be potentially harmful.
Interest in the topic stretches back to the 1950s when the concept of “parasocial relationships” was coined, characterizing the one-sided relationships that people have with celebrities and public figures. McCutcheon’s scale represents the way that celebrity worship spreads from simple curiosity to becoming a sort of addiction, measured by a questionnaire known as the Celebrity Attitude Scale.
So, why do people worship celebrities? The nature of parasocial relationships allows individuals to feel truly connected to a celebrity they might see or hear through their screens daily. With increased accessibility through social media, they can develop a sense of relatability while still being aspirational figures to audiences. It’s this sense of relatability that has made celebrity admiration skyrocket.
When does celebrity worship become problematic? Celebrity worship only becomes problematic when admiration becomes an obsession. It can lead to feelings of distress and encourage unhealthy addictive behaviors – even to the point of suffering real-life relationships. It can also indicate that certain psychological maladies already exist in a person. However, rest assured that embracing your inner fangirl likely isn’t a problem, according to researcher Samantha Brooks.
