It is now public news that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie has encountered a huge bump in their relationship, bad enough for Jolie to file for a divorce from Pitt just after their two-year wedding anniversary. Rumors are all over the internet. Some claimed that Jolie’s decision “was made for the health of the family,” sounding as if Pitt was abusive to family members, while Pitt denied the accusation. Pitt having another affair in marriage, as Jolie herself being (probably) the first one, is also a trending version of this event.
News sites and social media exploded with grapevines, and people seem eager to gulp them all down.
I still remember vividly the day when the news broke out. Nearly every table in the dining halls were speaking of this during mealtimes, most being excited, some feeling disappointed—after years presenting themselves in front of the public as the merriest celebrity couple, this perfect image finally collapsed, revealing that a flawless match is not quite that flawless after all.
Being admired as the “golden couple” of Hollywood, both multimillionaire movie stars, famous human-rights activists and the parents of six children, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, along with their love story, has become overly romanticized in public throughout these years.
It is astounding that people all over the world, since the moment Jolie was exposed for going after Pitt, who was then married, has been spending certain portion of their lives speaking, tracking, and debating over their relationship: whether it was ethical or not, how many kids they had, if they were facing couples’ problems, etc..
Every celebrity couple that splits generates huge waves of excitements on the internet. People love to read the gossip, discuss it over lunch—such activity has been a form of entertainment since the beginning of time.
Daniel Kruger, a evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan, says our desire to know about the activities of high-status individuals (or celebrities in today’s words) is a trait we share with other primates which directly relates to how we have complex social circles. “Knowing what is going on with high-status individuals, you'd be better able to navigate the social scene,” said Kruger.
How would this Jolie-Pitt marriage’s supposed termination change these people’s lives? How would this marriage’s mere existence exert direct effects on their life, frankly?
How would any celebrity’s personal life have to do with them, anyway?
No, there would be none. Why do people pay so much attention to their lives rather than their own?
Well, first of all, scientific research suggests that this is a certain social behavior for humans to satisfy their emotional needs. People feel good about themselves when they know that others suffer. When the person who suffers is a famous star, people get a stronger dose of joy.
Celebrity break-up news tend to be a lot trendier than news about how celebrities are living happily. This satisfaction comes straight from people’s desire of exceeding others, especially when these others have better achievements, lead better lives and own larger properties. The thought that their “perfect lives” are not in fact perfect gives people satisfaction about their own life when they face frustrations.
For some people, learning about the secret lives of celebrities, what happens behind the scenes, is a way to escape from the daily routine. Have one peak into life in the clouds, maybe even have five minutes fantasizing yourself living a life like that, is a means of getting rid of your current reality.
“Pitt and Jolie” is no longer two names standing for two individuals, but one special term combined with a legendary love affair that draws attention from every corner of this world, just like all other famous people. People don’t just call them entertainers for nothing—they live their whole life on stage for people to judge in their spare time, maybe over a cup of tea.