Admiring Celebrities Can Help Improve Self-Esteem

[The Straight Story]

Admiring Celebrities Can Help Improve Self-Esteem

ScienceDaily (June 6, 2008) — A new study appearing in Personal Relationships shows how “connections” to celebrities, i.e. parasocial relationships, can allow people with low-self esteem to view themselves more positively.

For many people, the admiration of celebrities can have some important benefits. Jaye L. Derrick and Shira Gabriel of the University at Buffalo, State University of New York illustrate how parasocial relationships can provide a safe route for people who have a difficult time with real interpersonal relationships. People with low self-esteem can use their parasocial relationships to feel closer to the ideals they hold for themselves.

Researchers conducted three studies using approximately one hundred undergraduate university students each to examine the relationship between self-esteem, parasocial relationship closeness, and self-discrepancies. Participants identified their favorite celebrity and described that celebrity in an open-ended essay. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale assessed global self-evaluations.

Results showed that people with low self-esteem saw their favorite celebrities as very similar to their ideal selves. Low self-esteem people primed with their favorite celebrity felt more similar to their ideal selves than low self-esteem people primed with a control celebrity. Also, people with low self-esteem primed with their favorite celebrity felt more similar to their ideal selves than low self-esteem people primed with a close relationship partner.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605150824.htm

[Forkboy]

1. Theirs or mine?

:)

[spanone]

2. so all little girls should admire courtney love for her 'celebrity=ness'

[DJ13]

10. Only her Hole

[Ken Burch]

23. Oh, Behave!

[Ken Burch]

17. Well, ordinary mothers can look at Courtney and feel better about their own parenting skills.

She definitely improves the grading curve for everybody else.

[virgogal]

3. What an absolute waste of research money. Pure garbage.

[The Straight Story]

7. Here is another study: How media exposure affects self -esteem in over/underweight women

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013162758.htm

How Does Media Exposure Affect Self-Esteem In Overweight And Underweight Women?

Overweight women's self-esteem plummets when they view photographs of models of any size, according to a new study in Journal of Consumer Research. And underweight women's esteem increases, regardless of models' size.

[virgogal]

11. Unbelievable isn't it?

[The Straight Story]

12. I think they just make up shit and sell it :) (nt)

[no_hypocrisy]

4. I object to the "celebrity" as a role model.

Famous is not equivalent to celebrity.

When I grew up, I had role models like Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart. As far as the media went, I admired Meryl Streep, Colleen Dewhurst, Glenda Jackson, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis.

A celebrity is famous for being famous. A role model has an accomplished life.

[dysfunctional press]

5. "can help improve self-esteem'...of the celebrities.

as if most of them need any 'improvement'.

[lunatica]

6. Men can admire Tiger Woods and feel good about their own philandering now

Actually they can try to emulate him because they've grown to admire his prowess.

[Ken Burch]

15. Seen in another light, morality aside, you could admire Tiger as an organizational genius.

I mean...SIXTEEN mistresses? How do you even SCHEDULE all that?

[DJ13]

8. What if you admire Pee Wee Herman?

[lunatica]

20. Pee Wee Herman is a very talented comic genius who

was hurting absolutely no one when he went to a porn store or peep show or whatever it's called. After Craig did his wide stance bathroom act and Vitters his diaper fetish and the scandals that have come out in recent years if Pee Wee was caught today no one would make much of it. His 'sin' was so minor.

[DJ13]

22. I agree

I was just making a joke.

By the way, he is coming back as Pee Wee in a new Pee Wee movie thats scheduled to shoot next year from what I understand.

[lunatica]

25. Great! I welcome it if he's the creative artist behind it

[Ken Burch]

27. Actually, Paul Reubens is the comic genius. PeeWee is just a character.

It's not like he was wearing the PeeWee suit IN the porno theatre.

[lunatica]

32. I know. I stand corrected

I can never remember his real name but still, I like him a lot.

[Ken Burch]

24. Depends on what you admire him FOR.

n/t.

[DJ13]

29. His firm grasp on issues

[Bluenorthwest]

30. Then you'd rush out to buy tickets to his upcoming shows!

And be happy that bad people did not bring down his humor.

[omega minimo]

9. Horse Hockey

:thumbsdown:

[ixion]

13. wow... I believe the opposite is true

self-esteem comes from within, not from the Cult of Personality.

[Ken Burch]

14. I thought it was gonna say we'd feel better about ourselves if celebrities admired US.

Y'know, we probably would. Just so long as they didn't get obsessed with us and start following us around.

[Gwendolyn]

16. Some people absolutely flourish when they become involved in a fan club.

Especially if their fav star sends them little trinkets and autographed pics. And they would die if they missed a week of Survivor. I'm also thinking of the way people reacted to Susan Boyle. People cried and actually said she gave them hope in humanity.

I believe this study has merits but don't think it covers any new ground.

[Ken Burch]

18. Doesn't always work out that way.

Selena was KILLED by the president of her fan club.

[Gwendolyn]

21. Yes, some people go over the top.

Then there are those stalkers who think the newcaster on their television is talking only to them, or that Madonna sends them love messages through her music.

But it seems like the behavior comes from the same place, although one is far more exaggerated and dangerous than the other.

[woo me with science]

19. They should redo this study but using Hooters waitresses. nt

[Odin2005]

26. Horseshit!

[Loudmxr]

28. I have always admired Pete Townshend unfortunately its taken a toll on my hearing.

[Ken Burch]

31. And his, from all reports.

Townsend is pretty much deaf after all those years of "windmilling".

[NashVegas]

33. There's a Name For These People: "Gherms"

And they are a life-suck, if you ask me.

[Deja Q]

34. What's to admire? Most of them become famous by exploiting others or being as crude as possible.

Hey, where do I sign up! :evilgrin:

[Posteritatis]

35. Define "celebrities" broadly enough and I can see that.

How many people here idealize, say, one politician or writer or another? Is Obama or Kucinich or Franken or (let's be fair to the other side of the aisle) Palin any less a celebrity in some aspects than various actors, musicians, athletes, and so on?

I'm obviously a fan of people getting most of their self-esteem from within - themselves, their accomplishments, etc. - but most of us get at least some from elsewhere, too, and to a point that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's easy for people to kneejerk and cry BS at the bad scienticians because they don't like the results, but there's probably something there.