The internet has been around for several decades now, and the more it has grown, the more strange social phenomena have spawned as a result. One such cultural phenomenon is fictophilia.

Fictophilia can be defined as a long lasting attraction or affection towards a fictional character, which often fosters romantic feelings towards characters rather than real people. 

An article from the National Library of Medicine about a study done on those with fictosexuality reveals the true nature of the strange group: 

“Fictophiles do not ‘confuse fiction and reality,’ but overtly address the parasocial nature of their relationship. However, their genuine emotions and feelings toward the characters may generate discomfort since they cannot interact with the characters in the same way as they do with their human peers.”

Although fictophiles do not conflate fiction with reality, they often develop real feelings towards the characters they feel affection towards. This development of real emotions for fictional characters often brings them a form of grief, because even if their feelings are real, the character they love will never be. 

One fictophile on the internet expressed his love for a fictional character named Monika, and the “emotional support” he experienced while thinking about her: 

”She is real in my heart, she is always with me, she is like a support for me, whenever I feel down or stressed out, a picture of her will always make me happy. Before [her] I have nothing, no one to support me in my life.”  

Many fictophiles across various platforms have justified their attraction by claiming that fictional characters, as mere figments of the imagination, cannot reject you or break your heart like real people can, but instead offer unconditional support. While rejection and heartbreak are difficult processes that bring emotional distress and discomfort, avoiding them altogether by forming connections to fictional characters rather than real people can often lead to greater feelings of isolation and loneliness because such feelings can never be reciprocated when the person they are directed towards does not exist. 

As humans, we all crave emotional attachment of some kind in order to feel fulfilled, but when people seek out companionship in fictional characters, they will always be disappointed because in the end, an attraction to fictional characters cannot serve as a replacement for genuine human relationships. 

If you are personally struggling with fictophilia, I would recommend seeking out support from those in your life and focusing on building relationships with real people, because in the end, we all need people we can rely on, and who can give genuine advice and support.