Is it weird to have an imaginary friend at 19?

Apparently not, I have seen people on a number of different sites asking about it. Also there are groups on the internet for people who have imaginery friends.

Nah, have fun wit it until you feel the need to let go. Sometimes, it can be a great way to cope with life.

Talking to yourself is just the adult version of having an imaginary friend.

It crosses the line and becomes a problem when you no longer consider them to be imaginary.

I agree with asmonet here…. just make sure you have your “conversations” in your head and not out loud if anyone could even possibly hear them. :)

I’m in my 40’s and have many imaginary friends here, so I’ll say no.

@live_rose I told you to not tell anyone about me.

depends on who your imaginary friend is

Is it Bob the three-tailed mammalosaur from Proxima Centauri?
Or is it imaginary people such as Yarnlady, asmonet and BBSDTfamily on the internet? We all have those. Especially an asmonet. Most people even think she’s real.

@Jack79 Asmonet isn’t real?!? What?!?

If it’s not weird to have an imaginary friend at 42, like me, then it certainly isn’t weird to have one at 19 either.

The movie “A Beautiful Mind” was a great example of imaginary friends at an older age.

yeah but that guy didn’t know that his friends weren’t real. i do so its a bit different I guess. But i did like that movie

Yes, it’s weird. Everyone has a little weird in them and that may be yours at the moment.

I’m wondering why you have an imaginary friend. Do you find it difficult to start and/or maintain friendships with real people? If so, I’d think about therapy to help you improve that situation. Not because you’re crazy, just to help you have a more fulfilling life.

PS: jessturtle is right… we’re all weird in one way or another. Welcome to Fluther! :)

@augustlan We are all weird… come on, in what way are you weird?

you. are. my. hero.

@simonPARASITE Who, babes?

@Zen My weirdness knows no bounds.

Auggie speaks the truth, but who am I to talk?

lol4rl, I just read everything up above.

You found me out guys, I’m a merely a figment of the collective’s imagination.
<<Plays Twilight Zone theme.>>

@asmonet Where are you? Ro no, Shaggy, I think I see a roast, er ghost.

@live_rose Check ‘comments for you’ up there in the right-hand corner.^^

Take God as your imaginary friend, and enjoy!

Enjoy Coca Cola.

i think you’re crazy. but that’s just my opinion.

@ninjacolin The askererer of the question, or me?

meh, i’m impartial.

you’re all my imaginary friends as far as I’m concerned.

@Zen. Is there such a word as askererer? =)

proof!

Askererer, noun, the one who is doing the askering. Of course, silly.

@ninjacolin Made me smile.

I have an imaginary God named Evelyn, and I will be 49 in August. More than a simple imaginary friend, Evelyn is my imaginary Creator of the universe, and she’s 300 foot tall. Is that weird?

I don’t know, define “weird.” I think you are fine, but my imaginary friend thinks your imaginary friend has “issues.” :-)

@Bluefreedom: “Is there such a word as askererer?” There is now!

To answer the question: Maybe it’s a little weird. But so what? If it doesn’t have a negative impact on your everyday life and you’re not reliving A Beautiful Mind, where’s the harm?

@MacBean That’s a great MacAnswer.

Er, yes. It is weird.

Yes, it’s weird. Doesn’t mean you aren’t “normal” though.

Don’t people usually call their imaginary friend ‘Jesus’?

Teenagers have chemical imbalances in their brains. I would say make believe friends are not normal, but it’s not unusual. Should be gone by 25, at the latest.

I thought Jesus was a lover?

@filmfann, 19 years old? Oh it certainly IS.

Jesus is my Mexican gardener, and he claims he is not imaginary at all.

@live_rose: How exactly does the imaginary friend thing work for you? Do you picture the person standing in front of you? Or is it more like you picture a little version of yourself with them in your head? Or something completely different? Because I might have more to say (and possibly from personal experience) depending on how it manifests for you.

@MacBean i should have been less vague but it’s hard to describe. I dont see them next to me and really I dont see myself with them at all. They’re like a completely different person living a completely different life that’s all going on in my head all the time. It baffles me what other people think about during the day when all I do is think about their life. it really is hard to describe . . .and harder to not seem completely insane but thats how it is for me.

@augustlan i have a handful of actual friends, I always have. But I dont know I’ve just always had an imaginary friend too. I can’t exactly explain why they never left I can’t explain why I need them. but they’re there and i dont see them leaving anytime soon.

@filmfann: Why the arbitrary number? 25 is not special.

Maybe I am the wrong person to answer this. I am a bit schitzotypal.

By 25 your brain chemistry should be balanced out.

@filmfann I didnt know that fact it’s kind of a cool tidbit. I dont know if I see them going away by 25 but we’ll see. My brain is kind of unbalanced as it is neurological disorder and all. But yeah 6 years from now now I may have my head to myself.

@asmonet: Studies show 24–25 is the age when brain maturation is complete, so it’s not such an arbitrary number.

@live_rose: You know what? It sounds to me like you’re just a writer without a pen. What you’re describing sounds exactly like what I experience. I never ever get bored and I really don’t understand boredom because if I don’t have something to do physically, I can entertain myself for hours with the people “living” in my head. My problem is that I can’t get the stories that go on there out and onto paper for other people to experience, too. And I’ve talked to many writers—some freelancers, some professionals, some who just do it as a hobby—who have told me that their characters live in their heads like this and “talk” to them and everything. I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re creative.

I really don’t think imaginary friends have much to do with brain chemistry, if it does, why is she on par with an eight year old?

I think you’re onto something with writing, I didn’t even think of that, but I’m the same way, when I write everything is happening in an complete and separate world in my head, they have full lives and everything. But mine is limited only to my writing time. My friend Cooper does that too. Nice catch.

@MacBean well I’d rather be called creative than crazy. I try to write the story/lives out and I do enjoy writing so maybe saying characters instead of imaginary friends would both sound better and be more accurate.

I wasn’t agreeing (because I think I’m onto something with writing, too, which is why I came back to ask for more details about what the imaginary friend experience was like) I was just saying it wasn’t necessarily a number he just picked out of the air. <3

@live_rose: There is a thin line between creative and crazy. Walk it! :D

@live_rose Coming from a counseling perspective I would say the following:
Does having an imaginary friend interfere with your daily life?

It is possible you developed this friend as a coping strategy and it worked for you. But if it is not working for you anymore then it is time to move on. If it is still working for you then you just need to remember to reevaluate this idea every once in awhile.

Many people who have a friend like the one you described use that alternate life as a way of escaping their own life. You might want to explore what you are escaping or why you are escaping and how you can enjoy your life without your friend. I think this would be quite beneficial to your mental health. No, I am not suggesting that you have poor mental health. But I am suggesting that it can be improved. As is true for most of us.

If this is causing you interference in your day-to-day living then I would suggest you try therapy. If not then I would suggest you try the option above and find ways to enjoy your life without your friend. You don’t have to get rid of your friend altogether just for a few minutes each day and you must try and make them enjoyable minutes.
You could also consider making this friend beneficial to you and writing a book about their life. I’ve heard that many popular authors have done so.

@MacBean: Got it, all cleared up. :-*

I’m 20 and been having an imaginary friend since I was about 8, so I don’t think its weird at all. His name is Chip, same age as me and he never interferred with my regular life at all. We have history, like seriously. I think its weird for someone not to have one.