Have you ever felt strangely close to someone you've never actually met? A face you see regularly, a voice you hear often, a presence you follow on a screen… This feeling isn't strange or exaggerated. It says a lot about your brain, your sensitivity, and our very human way of connecting with others today.
When familiarity becomes a form of connection
The human brain is deeply drawn to what frequently reappears in its field of perception. The more you see a face, hear a voice, or read a name, the more your mind associates it with something safe, comfortable, and non-threatening. This phenomenon, known in social psychology as the "mere-exposure effect," explains why repetition creates a feeling of familiarity.
In other words, your brain interprets regularity as a connection. It doesn't always distinguish between a connection built through interaction and one built through habit. And this also applies to the perception of bodies: regularly seeing a person in all their physical diversity, in their natural expressions, can generate a form of attachment.
One-way relationships in the digital age
With social media, this mechanism is amplified tenfold. Videos, stories, podcasts, and posts provide access to intimate fragments of daily life: moments of joy, doubts, tired or radiant bodies, successes as well as vulnerabilities. You observe a person living, evolving, expressing themselves, sometimes showing themselves as they truly are, without excessive filters.
This is how so-called "parasocial" relationships are born . You feel like you're part of someone's life, that you understand their emotions, their relationship to their body, their image, their experiences. This perceived closeness can be very strong, to the point of generating a real feeling of support or comfort, even without direct interaction.
Why is this impression so powerful?
Several elements reinforce this feeling of intimate knowledge. First, personal storytelling: when someone talks about their emotions, their relationship with their body, their insecurities, or their victories, you feel like you understand them deeply. Second, time: following someone over the long term creates continuity, almost a shared history.
Finally, perceived similarities play a key role: same values, same struggles, same positive and inclusive vision of the body. These commonalities foster a sense of identification. You no longer see just a person, but also a partial reflection of yourself.
Staying grounded without denying one's emotions
Feeling this closeness is healthy and profoundly human. It demonstrates your capacity to feel, to connect, to recognize the beauty and legitimacy of diverse bodies and life paths. However, it's important to maintain a degree of clarity. A media presence remains a selection of chosen moments. Your real relationships, sometimes imperfect, sometimes less polished, are just as precious. They deserve the same tenderness, the same physical and emotional kindness that you offer to others.
In short, feeling like you know someone without ever having seen them is neither a weakness nor a shameful illusion. It reflects a fundamental need for connection, authenticity, and recognition. Embrace this feeling with tenderness, while continuing to nurture reciprocal bonds, grounded in reality, where every body, every voice, and every story has its rightful place.
