Study links obsessive celebrity worship to criminal thinking and narcissism
Research published in Deviant Behavior finds intense celebrity obsession correlates with criminal thought patterns and vulnerable narcissism.
What to know
- Research in Deviant Behavior establishes a correlation between intense celebrity obsession and both criminal thinking patterns and vulnerable narcissism.
- Social media discussion questions whether the research adequately distinguishes between fan enthusiasm and obsessive behavior, noting critics who engage with celebrities they dislike may be equally or more obsessed.
Critics of celebrities are equally or more obsessed than fans, undermining the study's framing.
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“You're also obsessed. They're even worse imo, bc they waste their time and energy on people that they hate.”
sansabum · Reddit ↗
“New research published in Deviant Behavior indicates that an intense obsession with celebrities tends to go hand in hand with criminal thinking patterns and vulnerable narcissism.”
PsyPost · PsyPost · Sep 15
Deviant Behavior journal Publisher of research
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage postscomments
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Reddit commenter questions distinction between celebrity fans and critics
A Reddit commenter challenges the framing of celebrity obsession, arguing that people who snark on celebrities online are equally obsessed and potentially more problematic than fans who spend energy on celebrities they love.
“You're also obsessed. They're even worse imo, bc they waste their time and energy on people that they hate. Atleast the stans spend it in those they love.”
— sansabum -
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DATE: September 16, 2026 at 02:00PM SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. ** ------------------------------------------------- TITLE: New psychology research links obsessive celebrity worship to criminal thinking…
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Yeah bec I can hear those self righteous “definitely not me I hate stans" people who enjoy snarking on celebs online. Uh, no honey. You're also obsessed. They're even worse imo, bc they waste their time and energy on people that they hate. Atleast the stans spend it in those they love.
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background
Study published linking celebrity obsession to criminal thinking — Research in the journal Deviant Behavior indicates that intense obsession with celebrities correlates with criminal thinking patterns and vulnerable narcissism. The findings were reported by PsyPost.