Think back to your own childhood. Did you ever have a secret companion, a trusty sidekick only you could see? Or perhaps your ...

They may appear alone or in groups. In past research, boys have been observed inventing only male imaginary friends, whereas girls have either male or female ones. Children with invisible friends ...

Imaginary friends are signs of developing social intelligence, as children are creating new friends with beliefs, personality traits, different from their own. Shutterstock It was happening all in ...

An earlier version of this story appeared in Kids Today, Vox’s newsletter about kids, for everyone. Sign up here for future editions. A Vox reader asks, “Why do children often have imaginary ...

If your child has an imaginary friend, they’re not alone. It’s common for toddlers and young children to have pretend friends that they share experiences with. Imaginary friends can be other ...

That seems impossible, right? But no, it's easy, as long as we open our arms to what I like to call "imaginary friends for grown-ups." Like a toddler's lovey, a young child's favorite stuffed ...

Multiple films this year, including the new family comedy “IF,” explore the concept of imaginary friends on the big screen. By Erik Piepenburg In the new family comedy “IF,” Ryan Reynolds ...

Psychologists don’t totally agree on how many of the world’s children have imaginary friends, but get enough of them together and they’ll give a ballpark figure. For invisible friends ...

Anna North is a senior correspondent for Vox, where she covers American family life, work, and education. Previously, she was an editor and writer at the New York Times. She is also the author of ...