Study: Imaginary Co-workers Make You More Productive

Imaginary friends are no longer just for 6-year-olds. They can make you more productive on the job. No, really -- and there's a new study to prove it.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln asked hundreds of employees to stop obsessing about the bad habits of their real-life co-workers for awhile to conjure up the image of an imaginary co-worker who was friendly, hard-working, and an all-around good person. And guess what: The study participants who saw their imaginary co-worker friend in a very positive light had better job performance themselves and were suddenly more friendly, hard-working and all-around good people. No, really! According to the UNL rundown:

University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers have found that study participants who conjured positive imaginary co-workers contributed more in the actual workplace, both in job performance and going above and beyond their job descriptions to help others.

The results showed that your perceptions of others -- even ones that are made up -- says a lot about what kind of person you really are, said Peter Harms, UNL assistant professor of management and the study's lead author. Imagining coworkers instead of reporting on how you perceive your actual coworkers produces more accurate ratings of having a positive worldview, he said, because it strips away the unique relational baggage that one may have with the people they know.

So if your co-workers are grating on your nerves day after day, just re-imagine them as someone who doesn't exist in real life and watch your mood improve and your productivity soar! Go ahead and go to your happy place by hooking up with an imaginary work buddy. No, not that kind of hooking up. That would be too weird. We'll all get through this work week together.