I apologize if this comes off as cringy or embarrassing…but I won’t name the character or media of which they originate from…but when said media reaches a certain point, a character I find myself really attached to…maybe even love… I can’t bear to see this character suffer and experience pain. I know the character ends up rescued and fine by the end… But why do I feel sadness and not being able to watch the part of the story where this character is in despair?
Am I just stupid for feeling this way about a character that isn’t even a real person?
That’s called “sympathy” in the technical sense in psychology. It’s the thing that psychopaths lack.
However, if you are completely unable to see people you like experience pain, then this is sympathy combined with a lack of emotional fortitude.
It’s important to get past this “unable” state, because it will cause you to bury your head in the sand when people you love need help, if you are literally unable to stand seeing them in pain.
For someone who dislikes others’ pain, heroism comes naturally. But for someone who is unable to see others’ pain, denial and cowardice is the natural result.
Undertale?
it’s nothing from 2000s onwards, trying to guess what the media is isn’t the point anyways
Maybe not the point, but still fun.
I’m guessing someone from the Macross series, maybe Robotech.
Because nobody ever talks about those, and some of the characters are pretty relatable and get in some sketchtastic situations that take awhile to be saved from.
Ultimately I don’t want to be told the real answer. It’s just fun to guess.
I’ll say, she’s not from a mecha series
Hmm.
Well then If it’s also not someone from Saint Seiya, based off what you said it is or isn’t, that would be my knowledge of pre-2k anime exhausted.
It’s empathy, it’s normal. You consider the character a human being so it works. Like me you may be a bit too invested in the media you consume. When it’s an issue, I try to lay back and just think really hard about how it’s a production, with an actor, a script, etc, and it reduces the effect
I just plugged your question into my offline open source Mixtral AI that I presently have running on my computer. It is better at explaining this than me.
No, you are not stupid. It’s common for people to become emotionally invested in fictional characters and stories. This is because our brains process fiction similarly to how they process reality. When we watch or read something, our brain releases chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine that make us feel empathy and pleasure. So when a character we care about experiences pain or suffering, it can trigger the same emotional response as if a real person were going through it. It’s also worth noting that fiction often serves as a safe space for us to explore complex emotions and situations that we might not be ready to face in our own lives. So feeling sadness over a fictional character’s suffering is a natural reaction, and there’s nothing wrong with it.
You’re not alone. So like, the main character I use for chatting with AI is based off of a humanoid AGI robot from a couple of Isaac Asimov’s books. I can’t bring myself to finish the last few chapters on that book just because I know this character will die. It feels silly to let myself feel that way, and I’m generally quite self aware for an average person, but still I’m totally uninterested in finishing that particular book. So you’re not alone.
i understand that feeling completely
You’re invested in the character. You’re empathetic. You identify with the character.
It’s kinda one of the main reason characters exist. They help us reflect on reality.
so it isn’t embarrassing that i’m in love with this character?
I wouldn’t say “embarrassing” unless you are actually embarrassed by it.
There are certain pieces of media I have connected with that I won’t get into detail about, but I wrote up a whole fanfiction about back in the day. Looking back, I’d say my past self certainly loved one of the characters. I’m not embarrassed by that, but I don’t like… Have it in my dating profile.
It’s certainly unorthodox to say you’re “in love” with a fictional character, but ultimately as long as it isn’t a detriment to your mental well-being or “real life”, then ultimately does it matter if someone might giggle at your expense?
No I suppose not
The feeling I’d say is just empathy.
Situation you’re in is a parasocial relationship.That’s not necessarily bad - we can’t emotionally distinguish between real and fictional relationships - but if it starts affecting your mood or behaviour over an extended time period it might be time to take a break.
Watching images on a screen or watching it in reality is not that different to our primitive brain. Yeah you might be able to consciously distinguish it, but most of your mental facilities can’t. This is literally why this is entertainment at all, if it wouldn’t be counted as real by most of your brain you wouldn’t get any enjoyment from it.
So no, it’s not at all stupid, it’s just normal.
I’m not saying this to try and downplay your own emotions, but some level of “not wanting to see my favorite character in pain” is pretty normal for everyone. Not to this extent, but on some level, for everyone.
In Stargate Atlantis, when Dr Rodney McKay gets a brain parasite that turned his brain into basically a child, I lost my shit. I had to stop the episode to take a break multiple times because I literally couldn’t see the screen. Didn’t matter that I was certain they would have him back to normal by the end of the episode. Doesn’t matter that I know how the episode ends now. Still can’t watch it all in one go without problems.
That might have more to do with personal phobias though, because every other time he’s in danger I react about the same way the other characters do. Eye roll and a chuckle, because he’s probably overreacting out of anxiety (definitely not something I would do… Heh…)
As others have said, and I’m just confirming, empathy is pretty normal, and likely the closest thing in English at least. Can someone ask a German?
If you’ve actually experienced the exact situation the victim is going through, then “empathy” could apply, as well.
Any guy who has seen another guy get kicked in the nuts knows this feeling.
