Delusion, according to Oxford Languages, is defined as “a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions.” The more common slang definition is believing that someone has a romantic interest in you, despite no evidence of it. Delusion strikes hard in adolescents, especially those who were homeschooled during their early adolescent years, such as in middle school. 

Many factors contribute to delusion, such as the idea of a secret admirer. Crush confessions pages have been common in recent years with high schools all over the nation. These anonymous pages fuel teen delusion because some confessions leave the crush anonymous too, not just the person submitting the confession. This usually includes a brief description of the person, such as where they hang out in the mornings before class or what they look like. This is popular with people who are not too close with their crush but can easily fuel delusion because people can believe that they are the crush if their description is close enough to that of the confession. 

Overall, delusion affects teens all over the world and its effects can lead teens into a false sense of hope in relationships. Be sure to avoid delusion when possible by actually speaking to your crush and getting to know them, rather than “manifesting” that they will talk to you first through making eye contact one time.