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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2026 1:31 pm
an immediate diagnosis. Therefore, one shouldn’t immediately grab onto
all these labels being imposed in the article I shared above. But still, the way
it describes what happened to geniuses, prominent figures, creative people,
and writers — it’s not for nothing. It’s very interesting. And it all started
with me manifesting my curiosity toward this topic.
Next. Right after I read that information, I randomly turned on a movie from
a long list of downloaded films. I turned on the movie Bogus with Whoopi
Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu, and there, a boy sees an imaginary friend.
So I decided to ask an Artificial Intelligence — I don’t know the right way to
call it, a neural network — what these imaginary friends actually are, if such
an effect even exists, and what it means. Here is what they write to me:
“This phenomenon is called Imaginary Friends. It is quite common among
children, especially between the ages of three and seven. It represents a part of
normal development. A child creates a friend or several in their imagination, with
whom they communicate, play, and share thoughts as if the friend were real.
In movies, this is often dramatized for the plot, but in reality, it is not connected
to anything supernatural or pathological. It is simply a manifestation of a rich
childhood imagination.
Children do not see anyone real; it is entirely a product of their fantasy.
An imaginary friend can be a person, an animal, a fairytale creature, or even
an inanimate object, like a milk carton or a toy endowed with a personality.
The child sincerely believes in its existence because, at this age, the boundaries
between reality and fiction are still blurred. Such ‘friends’ help children cope with
emotions, practice social skills — like conversation and conflict resolution —
express feelings, and even compensate for loneliness if the child has few peers.
Research shows that children with imaginary friends are often more creative, have
a better understanding of others’ perspectives, and possess good social skills.”
Can only children see imaginary friends, or can adults too? Here they
write to me: “Not only children; adults also sometimes create imaginary
companions, but this is much rarer and usually associated with creative professions
(writers, artists) or stressful situations. It’s more common in children because
during early childhood, their brains are actively developing imagination, empathy,
and social connections. They haven’t yet fully learned how to strictly separate
all these labels being imposed in the article I shared above. But still, the way
it describes what happened to geniuses, prominent figures, creative people,
and writers — it’s not for nothing. It’s very interesting. And it all started
with me manifesting my curiosity toward this topic.
Next. Right after I read that information, I randomly turned on a movie from
a long list of downloaded films. I turned on the movie Bogus with Whoopi
Goldberg and Gérard Depardieu, and there, a boy sees an imaginary friend.
So I decided to ask an Artificial Intelligence — I don’t know the right way to
call it, a neural network — what these imaginary friends actually are, if such
an effect even exists, and what it means. Here is what they write to me:
“This phenomenon is called Imaginary Friends. It is quite common among
children, especially between the ages of three and seven. It represents a part of
normal development. A child creates a friend or several in their imagination, with
whom they communicate, play, and share thoughts as if the friend were real.
In movies, this is often dramatized for the plot, but in reality, it is not connected
to anything supernatural or pathological. It is simply a manifestation of a rich
childhood imagination.
Children do not see anyone real; it is entirely a product of their fantasy.
An imaginary friend can be a person, an animal, a fairytale creature, or even
an inanimate object, like a milk carton or a toy endowed with a personality.
The child sincerely believes in its existence because, at this age, the boundaries
between reality and fiction are still blurred. Such ‘friends’ help children cope with
emotions, practice social skills — like conversation and conflict resolution —
express feelings, and even compensate for loneliness if the child has few peers.
Research shows that children with imaginary friends are often more creative, have
a better understanding of others’ perspectives, and possess good social skills.”
Can only children see imaginary friends, or can adults too? Here they
write to me: “Not only children; adults also sometimes create imaginary
companions, but this is much rarer and usually associated with creative professions
(writers, artists) or stressful situations. It’s more common in children because
during early childhood, their brains are actively developing imagination, empathy,
and social connections. They haven’t yet fully learned how to strictly separate