The present study examined the relationships between people's romantic loneliness, parasocial love (PSL), and imagined interaction (II) with media figures they viewed as romantic partners. Two hundred and twenty four college students in a Chinese university participated in the survey study. Romantic loneliness was negatively related to PSL moderated by gender. The negative relationship only emerged in males but not in females. People who had II with the personae had stronger PSL in contrast those who didn’t. PSL was positively related to II's attributes of frequency and valence and functions of compensation and relationship maintenance. Frequency of II negatively mediated the relationship between romantic loneliness and PSL.
The present study examined the roles of people's romantic beliefs and imagined interactions in unrequited love. Two hundred and twenty five Chinese college students participated in a survey study. More idealized romantic beliefs were associated with stronger unrequited love. Men's unrequited love was stronger than women's. Would-be lovers who had imagined interactions with beloved ones had stronger unrequited love in contrast to those who didn’t. Unrequited love and romantic beliefs were both positively related to the imagined interaction attributes of frequency and valence and the functions of compensation and relationship maintenance. Frequency of imagined interactions positively mediated the relationship between romantic beliefs and unrequited love.
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