So this is basically your idea. Yes. And it's by one Bradley Bond at University of San Diego.

I love Bradley Bond. You love

Bradley Bond. Bradley Bond loves you, Stephen, I'm sure. But essentially, this is a 10-week study, and it involves a sample of heterosexual participants who watch a television series with fictional characters who are gay. And the question is, what happens to your attitudes as you watch over the course of two months? And the bottom line conclusion is, and I quote, that audiences can develop socio-emotional bonds with out-group television characters, out-group meaning not in the main group, that can influence attitudes and behaviors much the same as direct interpersonal intergroup contact. That's some empirical support for your intuition that maybe feeling like we are friends with people that don't actually know us that could be used for good. Still to come on No Stupid Questions, Angela shares a parasocial relationship of her own. I listen to you all the time. I watch documentaries about you. I know so much that there has to be something on the other side.

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Thank you. Thank you. including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC, member NYSE SIPC. Before we return to Stephen and Angela's conversation about parasocial relationships, let's hear some of your thoughts on the subject. We asked listeners to let us know how parasocial relationships have shaped their lives. Here's what you said. Hi, I'm

in a one-sided relationship with Korean music group BTS. I first became a BTS fan when my sister and her family moved to South Korea at the end of 2019. Initially, it was a way for me to connect with my nephews and nieces at a distance. But before long, I feel like I've really become a true fan, part of the BTS Army. We know their personalities, their likes and dislikes. I think it's been a way for me to really cope with being away from my over the last two years of COVID. I guess some people might think it's embarrassing, but BTS are me all the way. Hi, Angela and Stephen. This is Russell Singer. As a much younger graduate student studying transportation systems, I often found myself having imaginary conversations with Elon Musk to vet my ideas and plan my presentations. At the time, I looked up to him deeply for his engineering acumen and ability to accomplish things that many tried, but no one was able. In more recent days, I've lost a modicum of respect for him based on certain comments and activities that he's engaged in. I still sometimes have conversations with him in my head, but they tend to take on a more morally superior tone and be far less deferential.