Fangirl?
The psychology behind fangirling can be an interesting thing. Many people think that fangirls are crazy teenage girls who cry because of their obsession with a celebrity. They think that they have no lives and devote them to these stars that appear on TV screens. I'm here to say, that it's not true. Fangirls are said to have multiple psychiatric issues and use these celebrities to forget about real life. In many cases that's true, but fangirls can be completely stable people, just not emotionally. Fangirls aren't just girls; there are also fanboys, though that term isn't used as commonly.
So what is a fangirl? A fangirl can be anyone from any age (usually teenagers) who is "obsessed" with a band, artist, actor, television series, or even books. Each one of these categories is put into something called a fandom. Fandom stands for "fanatic domain". In these domains, fangirls or fanboys talk about their obsession, usually on social media. On these websites they connect with other fans and even the celebrities they fangirl about.
According to Jeff Rudski, a psychologist at Muhlenburg College, on Psychology Today, "We're built to become deeply connected to outside entities. The brain's mesolimbic system functions as a reinforcement circuit between the opiodergic system (which controls liking) and the dopaminergic system (which governs wanting)—so when we like a donut, we want it again next time it's available. For fanatics, liking may trigger an unusually high degree of wanting."
In the One Direction movie This Is Us, there is a short clip of a neurologist explaining why girls freak out when they see One Direction or listen to their music. To sum it up, he says that when listening to their music, dopamine levels start to increase. Dopamine is a nuerotransmitter that controls the brain's pleasure. When eating your favorite foods, dopamine is released. The release of it makes you feel happy and even a little excited. When taking drugs, high levels of dopamine are released; the brain remembers this and makes it want it again. When listening to One Direction, because so much dopamine is released, the brain associates it with happiness, leading to possible obsession.
The psychology behind fangirling can be an interesting thing. Many people think that fangirls are crazy teenage girls who cry because of their obsession with a celebrity. They think that they have no lives and devote them to these stars that appear on TV screens. I'm here to say, that it's not true. Fangirls are said to have multiple psychiatric issues and use these celebrities to forget about real life. In many cases that's true, but fangirls can be completely stable people, just not emotionally. Fangirls aren't just girls; there are also fanboys, though that term isn't used as commonly.
So what is a fangirl? A fangirl can be anyone from any age (usually teenagers) who is "obsessed" with a band, artist, actor, television series, or even books. Each one of these categories is put into something called a fandom. Fandom stands for "fanatic domain". In these domains, fangirls or fanboys talk about their obsession, usually on social media. On these websites they connect with other fans and even the celebrities they fangirl about.
According to Jeff Rudski, a psychologist at Muhlenburg College, on Psychology Today, "We're built to become deeply connected to outside entities. The brain's mesolimbic system functions as a reinforcement circuit between the opiodergic system (which controls liking) and the dopaminergic system (which governs wanting)—so when we like a donut, we want it again next time it's available. For fanatics, liking may trigger an unusually high degree of wanting."
In the One Direction movie This Is Us, there is a short clip of a neurologist explaining why girls freak out when they see One Direction or listen to their music. To sum it up, he says that when listening to their music, dopamine levels start to increase. Dopamine is a nuerotransmitter that controls the brain's pleasure. When eating your favorite foods, dopamine is released. The release of it makes you feel happy and even a little excited. When taking drugs, high levels of dopamine are released; the brain remembers this and makes it want it again. When listening to One Direction, because so much dopamine is released, the brain associates it with happiness, leading to possible obsession.
An Escape From Reality
Fans may also become obsessed with certain things to escape reality. Samantha Smithstein, the co-founder of Pathways Institute for Impulse Control in California says, "Fanatics may be driven to escape an issue that's difficult to face." Even though that's not always the case, it is most of the time. The psychology of a fangirl from an actual fangirl's perspective (me), is somewhat similar to these actual psychologists. I know many people who listen to their favorite band when they are upset. It's the one thing that brings joy to their life. When everything goes wrong, they have their favorite song to listen to, book to read, or movie to watch.
Friendship
Being part of a fandom was one way I made friends. Being a Directioner led to me meeting my best friend. Being a Potterhead brought me closer to my aunts and uncles. Being part of the 5sos family helped me make friends at my new school. Whether we realize it or not, we're surrounded by these fandoms day by day. A fandom doesn't have to be based off a musician or actor, it could also be based off a sport. My father and his best friend are constantly talking passionately about their favorite football teams. When fangirls get into fights with other fandoms, it's seen as weird. When guys argue about sports, it's socially acceptable. I hope one day we all can walk down the street hand in hand accepting each other's obsessions. What I'm trying to say is that we all secretly have a fangirl living inside us. We all have that one thing we devote our lives to.
From my point of view, fangirling isn't just a way to forget about life, it's also a way of life. I learned in English class, that everyone's perception is different based off of their pasts and their environment. It's their history and world around them. When the world around you is based off something you love, then you learn to love the world around you. Whether you're a fan to forget about life, or its because you enjoy something, I believe it's something that shapes us as people.
Image Credit Here
Fans may also become obsessed with certain things to escape reality. Samantha Smithstein, the co-founder of Pathways Institute for Impulse Control in California says, "Fanatics may be driven to escape an issue that's difficult to face." Even though that's not always the case, it is most of the time. The psychology of a fangirl from an actual fangirl's perspective (me), is somewhat similar to these actual psychologists. I know many people who listen to their favorite band when they are upset. It's the one thing that brings joy to their life. When everything goes wrong, they have their favorite song to listen to, book to read, or movie to watch.
Friendship
Being part of a fandom was one way I made friends. Being a Directioner led to me meeting my best friend. Being a Potterhead brought me closer to my aunts and uncles. Being part of the 5sos family helped me make friends at my new school. Whether we realize it or not, we're surrounded by these fandoms day by day. A fandom doesn't have to be based off a musician or actor, it could also be based off a sport. My father and his best friend are constantly talking passionately about their favorite football teams. When fangirls get into fights with other fandoms, it's seen as weird. When guys argue about sports, it's socially acceptable. I hope one day we all can walk down the street hand in hand accepting each other's obsessions. What I'm trying to say is that we all secretly have a fangirl living inside us. We all have that one thing we devote our lives to.
From my point of view, fangirling isn't just a way to forget about life, it's also a way of life. I learned in English class, that everyone's perception is different based off of their pasts and their environment. It's their history and world around them. When the world around you is based off something you love, then you learn to love the world around you. Whether you're a fan to forget about life, or its because you enjoy something, I believe it's something that shapes us as people.
Image Credit Here