FEELING LONELY? AN EXPERT SAYS AN IMAGINARY FRIEND MIGHT HELP
Do you have a "Wilson" in your life?
If the lockdowns last much longer, some of us might have to go and get ourselves a ‘Wilson.’ And it might not be a bad idea.
A Canadian professor who’s an expert on loneliness just wrote an article on why people who are isolated talk to themselves or create imaginary friends. And he says it might actually be a healthy thing to do.
The term “tulpa” refers to a voice in your own head that talks and seems to have thoughts of its own. And it’s something people do intentionally. They work on it for months or years until it happens naturally. This might sound nuts, but a recent study found most people who do it are perfectly sane.
7 in 10 people who do it say it’s to help with loneliness. And 78% claim it’s had a positive impact on their mental health. More research is being done to see if creating imaginary friends is actually healthy when you’re feeling isolated.
