Confronting Existential Dread Triggered by Seeing Celebrities Age
Info from Dr. Gpt
The feeling you're describing, when someone sees a celebrity they remember from decades ago who has visibly aged, and they experience a sense of existential dread about the passage of time and aging, doesn’t have a widely recognized specific term in psychology. However, there are several concepts that may come close to capturing this experience:
1. Existential Angst or Dread
This is a well-known term in existential philosophy and psychology, referring to the anxiety and fear that arise from confronting the reality of human mortality, aging, and the passage of time. Seeing celebrities age can trigger a sense of vulnerability, reminding the viewer of their own aging process and the inevitable passage of time.
2. Temporal Dislocation
This is not a formal term, but it could describe the feeling of being temporarily disoriented by the stark contrast between how a celebrity appeared decades ago versus now. This could lead to a sense of time moving faster than expected or difficulty reconciling past and present.
3. The Memento Mori Effect
While not an official term, this phrase ("Remember you must die" in Latin) is used to describe anything that reminds people of their mortality. Seeing a once-young celebrity now visibly aged can act as a "memento mori," reminding the viewer that everyone ages and no one escapes time, which can evoke existential anxiety.
4. Celebrity Aging Effect
This term isn't widely used, but it could describe the phenomenon where seeing public figures—who often seem immortalized in a particular era—age over time forces people to confront their own aging process. It may also evoke feelings of nostalgia mixed with existential discomfort, as celebrities often symbolize the passage of time in a unique way, given their constant presence in the media.
5. Nostalgia Paradox
Nostalgia is typically associated with fond memories of the past, but when confronted with the aging of someone from that past, it can trigger a paradoxical feeling—simultaneously longing for a time when both the celebrity and the viewer were younger, and feeling discomfort about the unstoppable progression of time.
Conclusion:
While there isn’t a single word to define this exact feeling, it is a combination of existential angst, temporal dislocation, and a memento mori reminder triggered by seeing a celebrity age. These feelings point to the larger human experience of confronting aging, time, and mortality.
