Anna Hartz
The Surprising Link Between Celebrity Worship and Personality
Celebrities have always had a powerful effect on their fans. For some, the admiration is casual.
For others, it can grow into something much deeper. In today’s world of constant media exposure, many people feel like they know their favorite stars personally.
But a new study suggests that this strong attachment may reveal more about fans than they realize.
“Superfans”
According to research published in the International Journal of Psychology and reported by PsyPost, people who admire celebrities intensely tend to show more narcissistic traits and hold stronger materialistic values, writes Videnskab.
The effect was most pronounced among “superfans,” especially those who felt a strong sense of similarity between themselves and the celebrity they admire.
The study involved 215 undergraduate students from a university in the southeastern United States.
Most of the participants were women, and the group included a diverse range of ethnic backgrounds.
Each participant completed questionnaires that measured their attitudes toward celebrities, their values around material possessions, and their levels of narcissistic traits.
They were also asked questions about how much they felt they resembled their favorite celebrity in personality, appearance, or lifestyle. This was meant to gauge the depth of personal identification with the star.
The results showed that people with high levels of celebrity admiration scored higher than average in both narcissism and materialism.
Earlier Studies
These findings are consistent with earlier studies. One previous piece of research looked at fans of Elvis Presley and found that many not only adopted his style and values but also felt a deep personal connection to his identity.
The authors of the new study note that there are limitations to their findings. All participants were young women from a single university in one part of the United States.
This means the results may not apply to other demographics or to the general population.
Still, the research raises interesting questions. Why do some fans feel such a powerful link to someone they have never met?
And how might that connection shape their personality and values over time?
The answers are not yet clear, but for now, the study suggests that fandom can be more than harmless entertainment—it can be a mirror of the self.
