We’ve all been there — refreshing fancam compilations and spiraling into yet another hour of watching their variety show moments. Somewhere between the laughter and admiration, we start to ask: “Why them?” Of all the idols in the glittering sea of K-Pop, why did this particular person feel like home?
Back in May 2025, licensed therapist and K-Drama enthusiast Jeannie Chang, known online as @noonasnoochi, visited Cebu for an intimate talk on how K-dramas influence our mental health. Her insights, which were covered by SunStar Lifestyle, reminded fans that the stories and characters we love quietly shape the way we see ourselves.
Months later, Chang took that idea one step further. In an Oct. 1, 2025 reel, she explained why we’re drawn to our K-Pop or K-Drama biases. “We’re often drawn to the traits that we value or want to see in ourselves,” she said. “Confidence, kindness, humor and quiet strength. Our bias can be a playful mirror. Sometimes, it’s a mirror of who we are — or a glimpse of who we’re becoming.”
Mirror effect
In fandom terms, a bias is simply your favorite member. But psychology has long hinted that our preferences are rarely random. A 2024 study by Charles Chu of Boston University explored what’s called the “similarity-attraction effect,” our tendency to like people who feel like us. Chu found that when we believe we have a “deep inner essence,” we start assuming that others who share even one trait — say, creativity, shyness or humor — must share that same essence, too.
But our bias may go beyond similarity. There’s also the projection effect, where we see parts of ourselves — especially the ones we long to nurture — in other people. A fan might admire an idol’s stage confidence because it reflects the boldness they’re still learning to embrace. Others might be drawn to an idol’s vulnerability, sensing something familiar in their quiet strength.
But as Jeannie puts it, the whole thing should be “a fun and low-pressure way of exploring our own identity and growth.”
Maybe your bias isn’t just someone you look up to — they’re someone who helps you see yourself more clearly. Liking someone for who they are onstage often starts as escapism, but it can end as self-discovery. Our biases, in their own shimmering way, help us piece together the parts of ourselves we’ve forgotten or never dared to show. S