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"I want to freeze-dry my mom."
This phrase, meaning that one treasures their mother so much they want to keep her by their side forever, symbolizes the "eommisae" culture recently trending among Generation Z. While closeness between parents and children was once viewed negatively with labels like "mama's boy" or "mama's girl," openly displaying intimacy with one's mother has now become a culture in itself.
They hid being a 'mama's girl,' but boast about being an 'eommisae'
"Eommisae" is a newly coined term referring to someone who especially loves their mother and shares their daily life with her. In the past, children overly dependent on their parents were viewed negatively as "mama's boy" or "mama's girl." But "eommisae" differs in that it is a culture where children themselves display and boast about their close relationship with their parents. A close relationship with parents is accepted not as a sign of failure to become independent, but as one of life's precious human connections.
This shift is confirmed in survey results. According to the "2026 Family Relationships and Parent-Child Relationship Perception Survey" by market research firm Embrain Trend Monitor, 48.5% of all respondents said they were familiar with "eommisae," but the figure was relatively higher among teens at 55.5% and those in their 20s at 63.0%.
Younger generations accepted it as a "fun meme culture" (28.8%), while those in their 40s and 50s said it was a "phenomenon of excessive dependence on parents" at 31.5% and 35.0% respectively, showing a generational gap in perception.
Indeed, there has recently been a rise in content sharing daily life spent traveling, shopping, or visiting popular restaurants with one's mother. "Looking at my recent call log, it's mom, mom, mom," "The best thing is earning money and traveling with my mom," "My mom is my best friend, so we go on weekend cafe dates and film Reels together," "There are more and more photos of my mom in my photo album" — it has become a culture of naturally revealing, rather than hiding, closeness with one's parents.
Job scarcity, loneliness... parents as the most reliable 'home base'
Behind the eommisae craze lies the economic and emotional anxiety experienced by the younger generation.
Among respondents to the same survey, 60.0% said economic anxiety had fueled the eommisae phenomenon. Frequently cited reasons included job and economic anxiety (34.5%), an environment that makes it difficult to decide alone (31.8%), and emotional loneliness (30.5%).
The area in which people relied most on their parents was financial support (37.4%). The proportion was especially high among teens (69.5%) and those in their 20s (56.8%). The response that family dependence would grow stronger as society becomes more unstable also reached 61.4%.
Emotional intimacy was also pronounced. The proportion who described their parents as "like a best friend" was 21.5% overall, but 30.5% among teens and 26.1% among those in their 20s. The response that relationships with parents were close and harmonious also exceeded 60% among younger generations.
The analysis suggests that whereas parent-child relationships in the past centered on discipline, they have recently been shifting into relationships that share daily life and preferences. In fact, 84.6% of respondents with children said their relationship with their children was close, and the most common topic of conversation was "sharing daily life" (71.2%).
An 'eommisae,' but distance and independence are also needed
Intimacy did not necessarily mean unconditional dependence. The most important element in the relationship with parents was emotional stability (60.7%). This was followed by honest conversation (31.9%), mutual independence (25.6%), and distance without interference (24.8%).
Among respondents, 67.8% said their greatest source of strength was when their parents understood them, and 52.8% regarded their parents as a "home base"-like presence. At the same time, however, 58.7% said appropriate distance is needed even among family members, and more than half (50.8%) agreed that being too close to one's parents could make independence difficult.
As the ideal parent-child relationship, "an emotional safe base built on deep trust and respect" (43.1%) was most frequently chosen, followed by "a loose but firm relationship where one lives independently but can connect whenever needed" (35.8%).
Ultimately, eommisae is less a culture of depending on parents for everything, and more a generational shift toward accepting parents as the most trustworthy emotional safety net in an era of anxiety. At the same time, it reveals a new form of family relationship that pursues a balance between intimacy and independence.
