PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

YouTubers cheer people up more than casual friends

YouTubers cheer people up more than casual friends
2024-05-23
(Press-News.org) One-sided relationships with YouTubers are more emotionally fulfilling than talking to casual friends, a new study suggests.

The University of Essex research discovered people feel watching online stars like Zoella, KSI and PewDiePie can cheer them up more than weak-tie acquaintances – like neighbours or co-workers.

Dr Veronica Lamarche, from the Department of Psychology, also found people feel liked, respected and understood by fictional characters.

The study suggests watching online celebrities offer positive reinforcement - despite them not being able to respond.

Dr Lamarche hopes the research – published in Scientific Reports - will shine a light on the role these relationships, known as parasocial, play in society, as social media evolves.

“Parasocial relationships are an important part of our psychological toolbox when it comes to feeling like we have people out there who are able to validate and support us in times of need, even if we can never actually meet with them in reality,” said Dr Lamarche.

“This isn’t a last resort for very young or lonely among us - in our studies, people of all ages reported feeling like they had a strong connection to at least one fictional character, celebrity or online personality that they’ve never met.”

Across three studies more than 1080 people were studied to judge how they perceived parasocial relationships.

Most participants – 52% - said they have a strong parasocial relationship, with 36% saying they felt close to a Youtuber. 

It looked at people with an average age of 36 in Britain and America and found they believe “one-sided” friendships can fulfil emotional needs in ways that mirror traditional relationships.

These imagined relationships with someone they have never met or a fictional character were seen as more effective at fulfilling their emotional needs than acquaintances or similar weak ties.

However strong two-sided relationships – such as a romantic relationship or very close friendship - were consistently seen as the most effective connection for fulfilling emotional needs.

Dr Lamarche added: “People naturally believe their closest relationships are the best way of fulfilling their emotional needs.

“However, when people were asked to think about a recent time where a close other had hurt their feelings, some people became even more confident that their parasocial ties would be able to respond to their needs.”

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
YouTubers cheer people up more than casual friends YouTubers cheer people up more than casual friends 2 YouTubers cheer people up more than casual friends 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers advocate for structured framework to study the benefits of exercise training in multiple sclerosis rehabilitation

Researchers advocate for structured framework to study the benefits of exercise training in multiple sclerosis rehabilitation
2024-05-23
East Hanover, NJ – May 22, 2024 – A team of experts in multiple sclerosis (MS) research recommends a structured approach to the study of mechanisms of exercise training for improving outcomes for multiple sclerosis (MS). In a review article, “Focusing on neural mechanisms of exercise training benefits in multiple sclerosis,” (doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105633) published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders on April 16, 2024, they emphasize the value of adopting an experimental medicine framework to optimize ...

Researchers detect hidden threats with advanced x-ray imaging

Researchers detect hidden threats with advanced x-ray imaging
2024-05-23
WASHINGTON — Researchers have combined various x-ray imaging technologies to create multi-contrast images that can be used to detect threatening materials such as explosives in thousands of complicated scenarios. The new approach, which also leverages readily available machine learning procedures for materials classification, could be useful for security screening as well as applications in the life and physical sciences. “This method is particularly well suited to discriminating objects with very ...

Hypertension and kidney function after living kidney donation

2024-05-23
About The Study: In this cohort study of living kidney donors and nondonors with the same follow-up schedule, the risks of hypertension and albuminuria were not significantly different. After the initial drop in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from nephrectomy, donors had a slower mean rate of eGFR decline than nondonors but were more likely to have an eGFR between 30 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at least once in follow-up.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Amit X. Garg, M.D., Ph.D., email amit.garg@lhsc.on.ca. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

Kidney transplant outcomes from deceased donors who received dialysis

2024-05-23
About The Study: Compared with receiving a kidney from a deceased donor who did not undergo dialysis, receiving a kidney from a deceased donor who underwent dialysis prior to kidney donation was associated with a significantly higher incidence of delayed graft function, but no significant difference in graft failure or death at follow-up.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Chirag R. Parikh, M.D., Ph.D., email chirag.parikh@jhmi.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.8469) Editor’s Note: Please see ...

Potentially habitable 'exo-Venus' with Earth-like temperature discovered

Potentially habitable exo-Venus with Earth-like temperature discovered
2024-05-23
Potentially habitable 'exo-Venus' with Earth-like temperature discovered Royal Astronomical Society press release RAS PR 24/12 Embargoed until 15:00 BST on Thursday 23 May 2024   Astronomers have made the rare and tantalising discovery of an Earth-like exoplanet 40 light-years away that may be just a little warmer than our own world. The potentially-habitable planet, named Gliese 12 b, orbits its host star every 12.8 days, is comparable in size to Venus - so slightly smaller than ...

Earth twin or evil twin

Earth twin or evil twin
2024-05-23
The discovery of a planet similar to Venus around a star in the neighborhood of the Solar System raises hopes that astronomers may someday unlock the secret to why life appeared on Earth. The study of life in the Universe is difficult because we have only one example of a planet where life has been confirmed: Earth. It is difficult to say which characteristics of Earth are required for life to appear, and which are irrelevant. Until we find an “Earth twin” where the conditions for life also appeared, the best astronomers ...

Tracking down the genetic causes of lupus to personalize treatment

Tracking down the genetic causes of lupus to personalize treatment
2024-05-23
Lupus is a lifelong, often painful and occasionally lethal autoimmune disease. Few treatments exist today beyond powerful steroids to knock down a patient's immune system — a therapy that has its own serious risks. The good news is that new and promising treatments are in clinical trials. But the term lupus belies the fact that the disease has a variety of causes, which means that treatments will have to be highly personalized to guarantee that each patient is given the drug that targets the specific genetic mutation ...

New discoveries about the nature of light could improve methods for heating fusion plasma

New discoveries about the nature of light could improve methods for heating fusion plasma
2024-05-23
Both literally and figuratively, light pervades the world. It banishes darkness, conveys telecommunications signals between continents and makes visible the invisible, from faraway galaxies to the smallest bacterium. Light can also help heat the plasma within ring-shaped devices known as tokamaks as scientists worldwide strive to harness the fusion process to generate green electricity. Now, scientists have made discoveries about light particles known as photons that could aid the quest for fusion ...

Lehigh University researchers explore innovative cable-based approach to aerial robotics

Lehigh University researchers explore innovative cable-based approach to aerial robotics
2024-05-23
When we think about drones, we tend to think about Amazon. But their potential is much greater, and arguably far more important, than dropping off a box of laundry pods by lunchtime (an idea that’s struggled to take off since Jeff Bezos floated it more than a decade ago).  Aerial robots could be a huge asset, saving time, money, and workers’ well-being, in industries like construction where humans often have to heft materials up multiple floors, says David Saldaña, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering. They could also deliver ...

Researcher charges ahead with new tech to power drones wirelessly

Researcher charges ahead with new tech to power drones wirelessly
2024-05-23
Dr. Ifana Mahbub, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been awarded the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director’s Fellowship to continue her research to develop wireless technology to recharge unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in flight. DARPA awards the fellowships to its Young Faculty Award recipients who demonstrate exceptional performance. Mahbub received a Young Faculty Award, which provided $500,000 over ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project

[Press-News.org] YouTubers cheer people up more than casual friends