It's autumn in upstate New York, which means that my commute to and
from work is considerably more interesting because of the changing colors of
the leaves. Such natural beauty makes it hard not to daydream a bit during
these routine drives. I also find myself daydreaming while I work, sit in
classes, watch TV, etc. Often, I'm picked-on because my mind is somewhere else.
Luckily, I stumbled across an older article from the Boston Globe which claims
that daydreaming can actually improve thinking.
Daydream Believin'
A daydream is defined as a "visionary fantasy experienced
while awake", and is often associated with some type of emotion. These
fantasies are often dream-like trains-of-thought that take people away from
their current state-of-mind and surroundings. Many times, daydreaming is
thought-of as being lazy and unproductive; however, some scientists believe
that daydreaming is really the "default" mode of thinking. Daydreaming, they explain,
allows for creativity to make new associations and engage alternative thoughts.
Jonathan Schooler, a psychologist at the University of California,
distinguishes between two types of daydreaming. The first type is when people
don't realize that they're daydreaming until someone says something to them.
The second type occurs when people catch themselves drifting in to a daydream.
According to Schooler, the later of these two types is where the increased
creativity lies. "Letting your mind drift-off is the easy part," the
psychologist explains. "The hard part is maintaining enough awareness so that
even when you start to daydream you can interrupt yourself and notice a creative
insight.
What's Going On Up
There? 
The default network of the brain consists of the medial
frontal and medial parietal regions. Frontal lobes control functions such as judgment,
control, language, memory, problem solving, socialization, and spontaneity. The
parietal lobes are important for processing sensory information. The human brain
can most easily slip into default-mode when a person is engaged in a task that
requires little attention. Despite staring into space or doodling, the brain
regions are busy interacting internally – causing new connections to be made
from otherwise unrelated ideas.
Malia Mason of Harvard Medical School says that ""This
type of [wandering] thought can be fanciful, and it can be problematic and
distracting, but usually it's quite practical; for example, most people spend
the time thinking about what they need to do in the impending future." This
is similar to the ideas of Eric Klinger, professor of psychology emeritus at
the University of
Minnesota, who claims that
most daydreams are about everyday occurrences and tasks.
I believe that I generally feel better, happier, and more
creative when I let myself daydream. And even if you don't agree, you can still
use daydreaming as an excuse the next time your boss (or significant other,
etc.) yells at you for letting your mind wander. Just tell them that you're
giving into your mind's natural state.
What do you think?
- Do you let yourself daydream?
- Do you daydream unconsciously?
-
Does daydreaming help you feel relaxed or more
creative?
- What kinds of things do you usually daydream
about? (PG-13, please!)
Editor's note: Thanks Mello for the use of these beautiful pictures!
Resources:
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/08/31/daydream_achiever/?page=2
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/980
http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/why-does-daydreaming-get-such-bad-rap
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daydream
http://www.morris.umn.edu/academic/psychology/klinger.shtmlEth
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