Why does the finale of Friends feel like a real-life breakup? Why do we feel a deep void when characters who don't know we exist disappear from our screens?
In this episode, Alice and Marc decode the mechanics of Parasocial Relationships. Far from the cliché of the lonely geek, discover why your brain is evolutionarily wired to bond with fictional people through concepts like Social Snacking and the Benjamin Franklin Effect.
From the "Gym of Empathy" theory to the Pratfall Effect (why we love clumsy heroes), learn how fiction acts as a safe "social simulator" that can actually upgrade your real-world emotional intelligence.