Cited in Yahoo Health, Mom.Me – Why We Care About Celebrities Break Ups
Why We Care So Much About Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s Breakup
We are inherently curious, even voyeuristic at times.
Celebrities, and especially actors who portray relatable characters in film, can easily become part of our world. We see them do their jobs on screen, their pictures in the media, and we feel like we know them. We become attached through the intimacy shared on screen, and are drawn in by the romantic fantasies often played out in their real lives portrayed by the media. This is why we care about celebrities, and the lives they lead. At its best, this voyeurism gives us hope. If celebrities can find real love and sustain it, perhaps we can too.
Likewise, when they stumble, we risk losing hope in our own lives. I was pleased to help out on another great piece by author Korin Miller.
We’re often guilty of putting celebrities on a pedestal. We strive to emulate them — and that includes in the realm of relationships, licensed clinical psychologist Alicia H. Clark, PsyD, tells Yahoo Health.
But that comes with strict criteria. “We don’t want them to be human like us; we want them to be better so we can strive to be better ourselves,” she says. When they reveal that they have relationship issues just like the rest of us, she says, it can be jarring.
Update August 8, 2015
As more celebrities call it quits, here is another post explaining why we care so much. To read the full post post Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale’s breakup, click here to read this post on Mom.me.