title: Does assigning objects to null in Java impact garbage collection?
body: <p>Does assigning an unused object reference to <code>null</code> in Java improve the garbage collection process in any measurable way?</p>
  
  <p>My experience with Java (and C#) has taught me that is often counter intuitive to try and outsmart the virtual machine or JIT compiler, but I've seen co-workers use this method and I am curious if this is a good practice to pick up or one of those voodoo programming superstitions?</p>