In this era of political pandemonium, of suffocating social inequality, of confounding capitalistic institutions, one question unites us all.

Are Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engaged yet?!

No, at least not publicly. But that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from forever churning. Fans are dissecting every little thing they can get their hands on – a quote here, a boat ride there – to fulfill their parasocial connection to the “it” couple of the year (decade? century?)

Still, it can be trying when those around you won’t stop speculating about your relationship status. This difficulty is magnified for celebrities, who see their relationship ups-and-downs become the subject of international news headlines and social media trends. It’s typically worse when a couple is seemingly going through rocky times; just look at Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. But with Swift and Kelce, some are taking it a little too far.

“I really think that so many swiftness CLING to Travis because they see him as Taylor’s “last chance” to have a husband and babies,” one X user wrote. “We see it all the time because they always bring up her age whenever they justify engagement speculation.” Another added: “I’m not debating whether she wants marriage/kids or not but it’s still weird for people to be so obsessed with the when and constantly read into everything taylor, travis and their family do as easter egg for their engagement.”

Parasocial relationships can be innocent. But when they go too far, “stan culture” can lead to everything from “addictive tendencies” to “stalking behavior,” according to research – and experts say such volatility should be reevaluated.

The age of social media has made it nearly impossible for anyone who regularly uses these platforms to keep their relationship status hidden for long. An Instagram story here, a cryptic grid post there. Those in the public eye, of course, carefully curate exactly what they want their followers to know. Still, even Swift is human.

“It’s important to not hold celebrities to impossible standards because these are fallible humans with inevitable flaws and shortcomings, just like the rest of us,” Shana Redmond, a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, previously told USA TODAY. “What we see on social media is a small slice of who they are – we can’t substitute that glamour for the whole.”

But the viral nature of social media means platforms can become powder kegs for radicalization. Especially when it comes to celebrity couples and engagement and misguided, misogynistic pregnancy rumors.

Research by Dr. Randy A. Sansone Dr. Lori A. Sansone, published in 2014 in “Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience,” found that so-called “celebrity worshippers” might “harbor concerns about body image (particularly young adolescents), be more prone to cosmetic surgery” and could display “narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior, and compulsive buying.” Studies revealed that those with intense celebrity worship levels were more likely to struggle with their mental health.

The saturation of celebrity culture in media provides some explanation for public interest. Some level of celebrity worship, then, is inevitable. But that doesn’t mean it will always reach the “stan” level.