Imaginary friends and real-world consequences: parasocial relationships | Jennifer Barnes | TEDxOU

Dr. Barnes creates characters as a YA author and studies people as a psychologist, leading her to ask: what are the consequences of the emotions we feel about people who aren’t real? Dr. Jennifer Barnes lives a double life: by day, she’s a professor of psychology, and by night she’s a YA novelist. These passions have lead her to study the intersection of fiction and cognition. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at