In May of this year, when the pop fandoms of One Direction, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Fifth Harmony, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and others came together to support Ariana Grande in the wake of the attack at her Manchester concert, it was a benchmark moment. Never before had these self-identified groups come together in such a visible way. It wasn’t just the irrefutable power of teens who believe in the greater good, but also the visibility of their togetherness. It legitimized what the internet had known for years: fandoms are big, and they are important — especially in difficult times.

“Fandoms,” as they’ve grown to be called, are a group of people who all admire or support a particular entity in popular culture, usually in the case of television shows, book series, movies, artists or performers. Though the term could technically apply to other franchises – like sports – it’s typically reserved for actors, actresses, musicians, content creators and the like. Fandoms grew from the original term “fangirl,” which referred to outspoken female fans. In April of this year, Harry Styles lauded them, saying: “Teenage-girl fans — they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”

It was a move that landed Harry a lot of praise, because he shed light on something that had for so long gone ignored: fangirls, boys and -doms are not mindless obsessions, they are powerful forces. And according to various psychologists, there’s science to back that up. Belonging to a fandom is amazing for your mental, emotional and social health.

Research shows that a weak sense of belonging is correlated with depression. Finding a greater sense of purpose and developing the belief that you are deeply cared for by others creates a willingness to endure life’s challenges. Feeling as though you are a part of a “tribe” is not always easy, but finding groups of people with whom you share common interests is a starting point. It’s not surprising that so many people are drawn to fandoms for that reason alone: it creates a common ground in an otherwise divisive and disconnected world.

What is true of fandoms is nothing that psychologists haven’t known for years – this is simply the modern iteration of a very primal instinct. Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a psychotherapist and professor of psychology at Columbia University told Teen Vogue: “Belonging to a fandom group helps adolescents connect to other like-minded youths on social media throughout the year, as well as at concert events. Feeling like you are part of a group can help one define his/her identity and give a sense of purpose to what might be an otherwise routine lifestyle.”

She went on to say, “Connecting with people over shared passions and interests is good for mental and emotional health because it helps to create a fraternity-like or family-like sense of security. It's also generally fun to scheme and get excited about something with others, and gives them a subject to talk about that they know will always be well received.”

Lisa Bahar, a therapist that specializes in working with teenage girls attributed this to something called “Identity vs. Role Confusion,” which is a developmental psychology term for the time in life in which young adults start to differentiate who they are from who they were taught to be.

“During adolescence, teens are going through a time where they are forming their identity in the world,” she told Teen Vogue. “It is normal and healthy for teens to align and connect more and more with their peers than their parents. This is a wonderful process that helps teens learn how to rely less on their parents and more on themselves for healthy decision-making as they become adults. We call this process individuation.”