As with any form of fandom, the ideas of “celebrity worship” have often been looked at negatively. K-Pop fandoms, set up to foster the bond between idols and fans, often have been subjected to talk of parasocial relationships.
Parasocial relationships are relationships where a person feels much closer to another than they are. Usually, these are brought up in a negative context.
However, it is possible to have a healthy amount of “delulu” towards your favorite celebrity affect your life positively, according to science!
Dr. Nicola Thomas, a lecturer specializing in psychology in pop culture, has discussed being delusional for celebrities and K-Pop idols on several occasions.
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While discussing celebrity loving, Thomas references a paper Media, celebrities, and fans (Chia & Poo, 2009), saying that for people who adore celebrity idols for entertainment or social purposes, this “delulu” can serve as a break from life’s stress.
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Thomas elaborates on this, saying that while a stigma is attached to loving a celebrity, this points to evidence that being “delulu” can have a positive side.
For K-Pop specifically, she states that there are many positives to K-Pop “delulu.”
Being delulu for K-Pop gives fans a greater sense of meaning in their life and helps improve their life more generally.
— Dr. Nicola Thomas
For evidence, she cites another paper, Escapism and Motivation: Understanding K-Pop Fans Well-Being and Identity, saying that being part of the K-pop community provides commitments and attachments and gives fans a greater feeling of meaning and self.
| KCON
Afraid of being too delusional? Thomas has a solution for that as well — her “optimal delulu zone” chart gives a visual example of where safe celebrity love can lie.
Delulu is the solulu but when can it be too much? Introducing the optimal delulu zone graph to help you see when are you too negative? When do you have the right amount of delulu and when is too much? #delulu #deluluisthesolulu #selfdelusion #mentalhealth #depression
♬ original sound – Dr Nicola Thomas
It seems being “delusional” can have a positive effect on your life as long as you don’t take it too far!
