Strange reasons why some people stalk celebrities decoded

Findings can provide fresh insights into what might distinguish a fan from a celebrity stalker

Having frequent personal thoughts about a favourite celebrity and being prone to boredom are some factors that may drive people to stalk them, according to a new study.

Celebrity stalking is a serious issue that has affected thousands of celebrities across the world who are occasionally confronted by fanatics who give them intimidating attention.

The research, published in the journal PLOS on Wednesday by those from Idaho State University, surveyed nearly 600 American college students to identify factors that are associated with the tendency to engage in stalking.

The questionnaires measured factors that were hypothesised in previous studies to be associated with celebrity stalking, such as anger, thrill seeking and relationship attachment styles.

Researchers found certain factors are associated with a greater likelihood of an individual engaging in celebrity stalking, including having frequent personal thoughts about a favourite celebrity and feeling driven to learn more about them.

“Those who have personal thoughts about their favourite celebrity frequently and feel compelled to learn more about them are more likely to engage in celebrity stalking,” the study noted.

Some factors, including the need to threaten to harm them and being prone to boredom, were also linked to greater chances of a person stalking a celebrity, the study found.

But researchers said anger, thrill seeking and relationship attachment styles were not linked with a greater likelihood to engage in celebrity stalking.

The study suggested people were less likely to engage in celebrity stalking if their admiration for a favourite celebrity was almost entirely based on the celebrity’s ability to entertain.

Researchers said the findings can provide fresh insights into what might distinguish a fan from a celebrity stalker.

Citing some limitations of the study, researchers said the findings are correlational, adding that “it is impossible to determine causation”.

Since the survey was conducted among college students, they said the findings cannot be generalised to the whole population.

“Controlling for these predictors, individuals who admire their favorite celebrity almost exclusively because of their ability to entertain were less likely to engage in celebrity stalking,” researchers added.