Learn · TED

Talk5 min

Do imaginary friends make you smarter?

TED-Ed · TED

Watch At TED

About

Amia and her friend Zelba have been inseparable for nearly a year. They share secrets, play games, and rule over imaginary kingdoms. Amia sometimes has bad ideas, and Zelba goes along with them anyway. Amia is very real, but Zelba... is not. So, what leads kids to create these fictional figures? Explore why children invent imaginary companions and what skills they can develop through pretend play. [Directed by Caitlin McCarthy, narrated by Alexandra Panzer, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].

The talk

  1. Do imaginary friends make you smarter? 5 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
TED-Ed
Year
2026
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Psychology and the brain, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed