I apologize if this comes off as cringy or embarrassing..but I won't name the character or media of which they originate from..but when said media reaches a certain point, a character I find myself really attached to..maybe even love.. I can't bear to see this character suffer and experience pain. I know the character ends up rescued and fine by the end.. But why do I feel sadness and not being able to watch the part of the story where this character is in despair?
Am I just stupid for feeling this way about a character that isn't even a real person?
It's empathy, it's normal. You consider the character a human being so it works. Like me you may be a bit too invested in the media you consume. When it's an issue, I tried to lay back and just think really hard about how it's a production, with an actor, a script, etc, and it reduces the effect
If you've actually experienced the exact situation the victim is going through, then "empathy" could apply, as well.
Any guy who has seen another guy get kicked in the nuts knows this feeling.
Watching images on a screen or watching it in reality is not that different to our primitive brain. Yeah you might be able to consciously distinguish it, but most of your mental facilities can't. This is literally why this is entertainment at all, if it wouldn't be counted as real by most of your brain you wouldn't get any enjoyment from it.
So no, it's not at all stupid, it's just normal.
