Remember Wilson, the volleyball from "Cast Away"? Well, if the lockdowns last much longer, some of us might have to go that route. And it might NOT be a bad idea . . .
A professor in Canada 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. Which 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.
Obviously we have telephones, Zoom, and our PETS to talk to. So you might not need to create your own talking volleyball. But more research is being done to see if creating imaginary friends is actually HEALTHY when you're feeling isolated.
(Nautilus) Image © 2020 Getty Images