On average, daydreaming occupies a staggering 47% of our waking hours. It is reported that 96% of adults daydream every day. According to new research from Queen’s University Belfast, Children spend ¼ of their time in class daydreaming. You and I have probably daydreamed away a gargantuan chunk of the past week without even realizing it! Upon witnessing these numbers, one would wonder where our minds drift off to half the time we are awake and kicking…which we’ll explore in this article!
Why do we daydream?
Daydreaming, or mind-wandering, occurs for more reasons than you may think. An article published in National Geographic concluded that most daydreaming pertains to the future, enabling us to prepare and plan for what lies ahead. From this, we can predict potential hurdles that may hinder us from achieving our goals in life. Such a form of visualization aids us in conquering these obstacles. Daydreaming about events within our current life also lets us introspect on what we have learned from being in certain experiences, which makes us better equipped to handle similar prospective scenarios.
Most psychologists surmise this because, factually, we daydream less as we age. Logically, as we become older, we have likely attained some of our most important aspirations in life, leaving us with less of a future to visualize. People also usually daydream about positive things that have happened to them, which could signify a wish to relive these experiences. Night dreams, for instance, serve as an exercise in wish fulfillment; this may also include fantasies.
Creativity also often skyrockets with daydreaming. When searching for a viable solution, your train of thought tends to narrow and focus as you explore particular thought patterns. However, when your mind wanders, ideas are combined and recombined. A new thought sparked by this process might just connect with the solution offered by your subconscious, leading to a spontaneous stroke of insight. Or, as some might say, eureka!
Dissociation is another root cause of daydreaming. This implies that someone struggles to concentrate when faced with a chore of utter mundanity. When the mind is insufficiently stimulated, it is probed to disengage with the current situation and latch onto more imaginative or exciting thoughts.
What ensues in our mind when we daydream?
Until recently, only the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and temporoparietal junction were the only aspects of the brain assumed to be active when our minds meander. These areas comprise the brain’s “default network,” which correlates with easy, routine mental activity. However, a study carried out at Stanford University found that the brain’s “executive network” - associated with high-level, complex problem-solving is also activated in daydreaming. This includes the lateral prefrontal cortex and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex.
Are there distinguishable types of daydreaming?
Daydreaming can be categorized into 4 main types:
Visualization
Fantasisation
Escapism
Rumination
Visualization often involves creating a strong mental image of a future event. This is essentially picturing outcomes you want and imagining yourself basking in success, whatever that may look like for you. This form of daydreaming directs your subconscious to be aware of the end goal you have in mind.
Fantasies and escapism commonly go hand in hand. Both can be enjoyable and provide a mental escape or creative outlet. While daydreaming usually cultivates mental scenarios, fantasizing is when you imagine specific desired scenarios or outcomes. In fact, a 2015 study discovered that daydreaming about significant others, particularly, can increase feelings of love, happiness, and connection.
Rumination, unfortunately, is often a more negative manifestation of daydreaming. It involves “repetitive thinking or dwelling on negative feelings and distress, and their causes and consequences,” as explained by the American Psychiatric Association. This can sometimes become a vicious cycle; the more a person ruminates, the worse they feel, contributing to more rumination.
That being said, everyone daydreams - a little is harmless or even beneficial.
Reference List
American Psychiatric Association (2020). Psychiatry.org - Rumination: A Cycle of Negative Thinking. [online] www.psychiatry.org. Available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/News-room/APA-Blogs/Rumination-A-Cycle-of-Negative-Thinking#:~:text=Rumination%20involves%20repetitive%20thinking%20or.
Medium (2017). Different types of daydreaming are both good and bad. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@buybetter/different-types-of-daydreaming-are-both-good-and-bad-9aa5e18b362e#:~:text=There%20are%20four%20types%20of.
Meredith, Robbie (2022). QUB study explores the effect of daydreaming in young. (2022). BBC News. [online] 26 Apr. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61221195.
Parker, Monica (2023). Why Daydreaming Is So Good For You. [online] Available at: https://time.com/6256541/why-daydreaming-is-good-for-you/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%20do%20wonder%20what%20she [Accessed 25 Dec. 2023].
Parvez, Hanan (n.d.). Why do we daydream? (Explained) - PsychMechanics. [online] Available at: https://www.psychmechanics.com/why-do-we-daydream-psychology-of/.
Planet, O.M.O. (2017). Different types of daydreaming are both good and bad. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@buybetter/different-types-of-daydreaming-are-both-good-and-bad-9aa5e18b362e.
ScienceDaily. (2009). Brain’s Problem-solving Function At Work When We Daydream. [online] Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511180702.htm.
Taipale, Eric (2022). Daydreaming has a dark side – is your fantasising holding you back? [online] New Scientist. Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25533970-700-daydreaming-has-a-dark-side-is-your-fantasising-holding-you-back/.
Van der Stigchel, Stefan (2022). Daydreaming and Concentration: What the Science Says. [online] The MIT Press Reader. Available at: https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/daydreaming-and-concentration-what-the-science-says/.
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