A Case of “the Feels”: Why Fangirls Freak Over Fiction

Everyone, at one point or another, has seen, heard, used, or even claimed the term “fangirl.” The term itself can have several definitions, from the overly-literal translation of “obsessive female fan” to the derogatory, though frighteningly accurate description “usually mistaken for a stalker.” Other times, it is claimed as a title by someone with a vocabulary filled with terms such as “OTP,” “fanfic,” “ship,”(no, not a boat) and, perhaps most fitting term, “asdfghjkl”  —  used to convey the fangirl’s spastic, seemingly unconveyable emotion. Though fangirls can be devoted to any number of things from bands to books (and are not just girls; there are fanboys, too) the bulk of the “intense” fangirl emotions are usually a result of the actions, words, or death of a fictional character. These intense emotions, commonly referred to by fangirls as “the feels”(usually typed in caps lock) are the cause of people’s dismissal for such fanatics, and the reason that many people find fangirls “creepy.” The truth of the matter, however, is that there are actual mental and psychological connections that form in the fangirl’s brain. These connections are responsible for everything from the emotional response to fictional characters to the literal “craving” for more of the object of the fangirl’s obsession.

The root of all fangirling stems from one, innate emotion in the human brain: empathy. The part of the brain responsible for empathy “is called the the right supramarginal gyrus.” (Goldstein) When a person interacts with another human being on any level, whether through actual contact, or socialization, or even reading about a person, the right supramarginal gyrus kicks into gear, using past experience and knowledge to analyse the subject’s emotions, body language, tone, vocal patterns, and facial expressions. As the brain gathers information on the subject, it decides how empathetic it wants to be, and how much trust and sympathy to place in the other person. Interestingly enough, the primary factors in this decision are not based just on physical cues, but on an understanding of the subject’s history, background, mental patterns, and other psychological functions. Because of this, it is sometimes easier for the brain to “connect” with a fictional character than a real human, because often times fiction presents the brain with more backstory and understanding of a character’s thought process than real-life situations.

See? It only takes a few words to make a fangirl cry an ocean, 

Authors make use of this brain function by providing their audience with personal details about a character that may not have any relevance to the plot of the story, but make it neurologically easier to sympathize with a character. These details can be anything from Percy Jackson’s panda pillow pet to Robert Langdon from The DaVinci Code wearing a Mickey Mouse watch to Tony Stark eating gluten free waffles for breakfast; such add-ins have absolutely no importance in the story — the Mickey Mouse watch doesn’t have super spy gear concealed in it to save the day, and no terrorist poisons Iron Man’s breakfast — but through these details fans have the opportunity to connect with the character on a psychologically deeper level.






















To further this empathy, fangirls have unknowingly made it even easier to grow attached to fictional characters through the the creation of “fanfiction” and “headcanons, a term...that refers to what an individual believes to be true about a character, even though it’s not ‘canon.’” These “headcanons” allow for further understanding and empathy for a character, so that, even if the headcanon only describes which breakfast cereal a character prefers, the result is inevitably a deeper connection to the character. Through an inevitable chain reaction, fans with an already-unusually-strong empathy with a character will naturally create new opportunities through fan-made canon to further develop their obsession.

Aside from the mental empathy that develops in the mind of a fangirl, the other factor that draws in fans is so simple that even small children could describe it. “When it comes to really distilling down to what makes us really, really, really love a character, it’s not so much that we think of them as our fictional counterpart, but that we’d like to be friends with them.” (Norman) Every young child has, at one point or another,spent time with an imaginary friend. Usually these imaginary friends share the traits, characteristics, and names of characters from a favorite book or cartoon. Some children spend their time on car rides having a dramatic conversation with Scooby Doo, others play in the sandbox with Mike Wazowski, and others eat dinner with Big Bird. As people grow up, they don’t leave these habits behind, some people rely on their friendships with real people to keep them going, but others have a harder time connecting with people, whether because of a mental disability or just because of an introverted personality, and turn to fictional characters for friendship. There are some people that suffer from anxiety or depression, and, in a way, fandoms offer them a way to escape from their pain. Friends are an important part of life, and empathy with a fictional character can provide a “safety net” for these people to turn to when they need it. 

Though many people find it odd or creepy when people obsess over fictional characters, it is important to remember that it is not just being “overly dramatic.” While fangirls do have a tendency to be a little on the dramatic side,  there is an actual psychological empathy that has formed in the fangirl’s mind that is responsible for the tears shed when a fictional character dies or the personal offense taken when a fictional character is insulted. Similarly, fangirls should not be dismissed as “stupid” for sympathizing for and having a one-way “friendship” with a character, there are real reasons that fans become obsessed with fiction; to them, in a way, there's a little bit of “friend” in the fiction that they freak over.




I will also note that there is nothing better than a mutual fandom joke.

And sometimes the jokes from one fandom are used in another...

And then sometimes there's the fandom truth that for some reason isn't canon:

Congrats if you made it this far! You deserve a Party!

Or just further evidence that fangirls can communicate using 100% memes and quotes. :)

Bibliography

Bergland, Christopher. "The Neuroscience of Empathy." Psychology Today. N.p., 10 Oct. 2013.
Web. 19 May 2016.

Goldstein, Thalia R., Ph.D. "Do Fictional Characters Affect Our Real Life?" Psychology
Today. N.p., 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 19 May 2016.

Norman, Abby. "The Psychology of Fandom: Why We Get Attached to Fictional Characters."
The Mary Sue The Psychology of Fandom Why We Get Attached to Fictional Characters
Comments. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 19 May 2016.

http://www.themarysue.com/anxiety-and-depression-through-fiction/