Imaginary Friends, Revealed
Written By Rachel Simpson
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Taylor's study begs to differ: Most of the time, imaginary friends spring not from a place of shadows but of sunlight. "Very often adults think there is some deficit in a child's life that sparks the creation of imaginary friends, but that isn't necessarily true," says Taylor. The trauma of transition isn't usually the main catalyst, she explains. It's more often the free time that goes along with that transition.
Take Lola and her currant-loving companions. Having recently moved, Lola was cut off from her usual routine and (flesh-and-blood) friends. Thus she had more time on her hands. And that provided a stage on which her companions could make their grand entrance.
Free time? Is that all there is to it? Maybe, maybe not. There is another equally important impetus: "For many children," Taylor reports, "creating imaginary others is just a fun thing to do."
