From Ross and Rachel to Bennifer: Why are we so obsessed with celebrity couples from the noughties? 

The Independent looks at the rise in interest of 90s celebrity power couples. The paper says as rumours swirl about a possible-real-life relationship between Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer fans have gone wild. 

“Why are people so invested in the relationships of people they’ve never met?”

The internet has gone into a bit of a meltdown following the reunion of Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez) who are reportedly dating again, news Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer (Ross and Rachel from Friends) might possibly be dating after a source revealed the pair were getting ‘cosy’ since filming the Friends 25th anniversary special. 

Why are we invested? 

The Independent says regardless of whether these relationships are real or not, the public tends to develop a ‘para-social relationship’ with celebrities which leads to our investment in their personal lives. 

“This means that we get emotionally attached to them and become psychologically involved and invested in following their lives, almost in the same way as we are interested in the lives of those in our own families, even though it’s a one-sided relationship and they don’t even know we exist, let alone have any relationship with us in return,” explains psychologist Honey Langcaster-James.

Our intrigue also boils down to the simple fact that, regardless of how famous someone is, almost all of us will engage in some sort of romantic relationship during our lifetime. It is one of the few universal experiences we share as human beings. As a result, when reports emerge that two celebrities we feel attached to are romantically involved, it’s inevitable that we will project some of our own relationship experiences onto them.

Our attachment is intensified when there is an element of nostalgia. “Nostalgic memories have the power to make us feel happier,” says psychologist Emma Kenny. But shared nostalgia, she explains, like that experienced by anyone who has tweeted about Ross and Rachel being real, or the return of #Bennifer, can make the emotional experience of those memories even more profound.