Half of four year olds have an imaginary friend because quite frankly, not many at that age really have friends to speak of. They are trying to fit in and maybe have noticed that you have more friends than they do. Also, the imaginary friend gets them some needed attention.

Ok I slogged through it. Some great points and somewhat convincing overall. Most of it works. However, there is a whole lot of causation from correlation going on in there and that makes me suspicious of some of the assertions.

For example, the notion that because half of all 4 year olds have an imaginary friend, it means that they have a belief in a form of life outside the body...and that this is the default setting of the human brain.

That's quite a leap, particularly when most science points to children developing the "theory of mind" at around 3 or 4 and seem to use an imaginary friend as a means to cope with it. That is not at all the same thing as a belief in a form of life outside the body. That's just a child longing for a special friend, for a myriad of possible reasons, and pretending one exists. "Pretending" is a normal part of childhood development. We even love to do it as adults.

Also to note: not all cultures have children that do this, or do it to the same degree as American or other western children as accounted for in these tests.

Furthermore, when children are raised in a household and community where no deity is ever discussed, they obviously do not automatically believe in one. It has to be taught. It's the same for any other supernatural myth, such as ghosts and demons and boogey-men. You have to plant such a notion in their heads. And of course their impressionable minds believe what authority figures tell them, particularly if there is ambiguity on the part of the parent as to whether something like that could exist. In this way we teach kids to believe in implausible or supernatural entities. Enter Santa Claus.

Rocket science it ain't.

Looking forward to watching this. Thanks!!