Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Mitch Brown

Committee Member

Kate Chapman

Second Committee Member

Rania Mahmoud

Third Committee Member

Daniela D'Eugenio

Abstract

Previous research indicates that parasocial relationships provide surrogate connections for individuals to where they offer various psychological benefits. Some benefits include self-esteem and improved body image, which may be connected by such relationships facilitating attainment of one's ideal self. Given this benefit of social surrogacy, it could be possible that a vicarious romantic connection with a parasocial figure may similarly bolster one's mate value if that relationship were to move an individual closer to a personal ideal. We predicted that engagement with a celebrity crush would be associated with a heightened mate value. A community sample of men and women reported their celebrity crush and the overall intensity of that crush. They additionally reported their self-perceived mate value. Whereas the intensity of a celebrity crush did not predict women's self-perceived mate value, men's intensity was associated with perceptions of their mate value as greater. We frame our findings from an evolutionary perspective based on differences in men and women's approaches to mate acquisition.

Keywords

Celebrity crush; Parasocial relationship; Mate value; Self-esteem

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