Imaginary relationships have had a longstanding history of being frowned upon for its perceived juvenility and lack of real-world purpose. Yet, research seems to show otherwise. This week on Sero Boost: The Happiness Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella consults psychology researcher Naomi Aguiar to learn more.

An expert in how children and adults create imaginary relationships for themselves, either entirely on their own or with help from the media, Naomi Aguiar has published research on a broad range of topics in psychology and education. Additionally, she is an expert in how children and adults perceive and form relationships with AI chatbots, and how this may affect their real-world learning and behavior.

In this episode, Naomi Aguiar reveals that imaginary relationships—though often perceived as offering no positive real-world impact—may offer opportunities for people to practice being in a relationship that they may not otherwise have. Additionally, Naomi Aguiar asserts that imaginary relationships tend to be a vehicle for coping with adversity, offering reprieve from arduous real-world circumstances.

Together, Marie and Naomi Aguiar discuss various habits that may prove useful in evoking imagination and amusement for overall happiness. So, tune in this week for awe-inspiring expert insights, backed by research, on how imaginary relationships can offer real happiness!

Follow Naomi Aguiar’s work via the following platforms:

Naomi Aguiar: https://naomiaguiar.wixsite.com/research

Imaginary Friends and the People Who Create Them: https://www.imaginaryfriendsbook.com/

Produced by the Happiness Science Labs, a division of LMSL, the Life Management Science Labs.

Explore LMSL at https://lifemanagementsciencelabs.com/ and visit http://ha.lmsl.net/ for additional information about Happiness Science Labs.

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