Is daydreaming a waste of time?
Daydream believer
I dangle my legs over the edge of the pier and stare into the depth of the shimmering sea. The hot sun beats down on my shoulders and I catch a glimpse of angel fish darting in and out amongst the coral. I hear a beep and suddenly I’m snapped back to my mac and the 5 emails that have popped up in my inbox..…
Indulging in a spot of daydreaming has always been a favourite past time of mine. As a child I liked nothing more than kicking back, settling into a comfy corner and daydreaming about life, love and adventure. Over time, the constant go-go-go of life has eroded my dedicated daydreaming space, but when life allows I still love to indulge from time to time. Luckily the latest neuroscience research actually supports my enjoyable hobby. Studies show that allowing yourself the space to daydream can be a major factor in personal success – it can help with future planning, goal driven thought, better memory consolidation and creativity.
So what does the science say about daydreaming?
Well many times the “dialogue” that occurs when the daydreaming mind cycles through different parts of the brain accesses information that was dormant or out of reach, notes Eugenio M. Rothe, a psychiatrist at Florida International University.
Likewise, the daydreaming mind may make an association between bits of information that the person had never considered in that particular way.
By contrast, analytical thinking, logical thinking, is all about the exclusion and critiquing of ideas so that the brain can become a guided laser that operates with surgical precision. The conscious, analytical style of thinking that our schools train us to use can silence the bizarre, creative ideas that daydreaming may encourage us to entertain.
How does daydreaming result in more creativity?
It’s all about neuroplasticity of the brain. When you learn or experience something new—even when you have a new thought—your brain physically changes. It creates new neural connections.
Creative ideas need newness in order to happen. If you limit yourself to the same repetitive experiences your brain will have a much harder time forming connections. Without daydreaming, or some other form of cognitive novelty, our neurons simply fall out of that habit, making our brains physically less capable of thinking up crazy new possibilities.
So, what takeaways do these neurological findings on daydreaming have for us?
Don’t feel guilty if you take some time out of your day and drift away to la la land. Know that this is actually good for your creativity and inspiration!
If you have some downtime, for example if you’re waiting for a bus or a train or the person you’re meeting for lunch is going to be 10 minutes late - don’t pull our your iphone but instead consciously give yourself that time to enjoy a spot of daydreaming.
Stressful environments are not conducive to allowing yourself space for creativity.. If you are locked onto a problem remove yourself from the environment. Bounce a ball, walk in nature, play an instrument, it’s no coincidence that our best ideas come to us in the shower - it’s often the only time of day our mind is allowed to wander without technological distraction.
When you do allow yourself the time and space for daydreaming keep a notepad handy incase you have any sparks of genius which fly in - you don’t want to miss that creative flow!