Why Caring About Celebrities Can Be Good for You

The Totally Weird Ways Your Celebrity Obsession Is Good for You

Don't feel guilty for reading everything about your fave—it can be a surprisingly healthy habit.

1It’s a breather from the real world.

No matter what sort of life you lead, you need a distraction now and then. Whether you’re dealing with worrisome issues in the news or in your own life, it’s not healthy to be immersed in heavy stuff all the time. It’s a good diversion to read about Reese Witherspoon or the royal family in a magazine at the doctor’s office, or to catch up with celebrities’ lives on Twitter when you need a break from work. It’s like eating M&M’s—quick, sweet, and fun. The flip side is being obsessed with somebody famous, which is not healthy. As with M&M’s, you want some but not too much.

Julie Klam is the author of The Stars in Our Eyes: The Famous, The Infamous, and Why We Care Way Too Much About Them. She lives in New York City.