# Do imaginary friends make you smarter?

- 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](https://www.ted.com/talks/ted_ed_do_imaginary_friends_make_you_smarter)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

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. \[Directed by Caitlin McCarthy, narrated by Alexandra Panzer, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio\].

## Lectures

1. [Do imaginary friends make you smarter?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/ted_ed_do_imaginary_friends_make_you_smarter/1a8f04732011), 5 min (TED's player)