Daydreaming Isn’t Always a Waste of Time. Here’s How to Do It Right.
Daydreaming is frequently dismissed as being unproductive. But, it might have significant advantages.
I often find myself daydreaming, especially when I am out walking. Being outdoors in nature helps me let go of daily worries and allows my thoughts to wander into a happy future. This mind-wandering often sparks my creativity as a writer.
Ironically, daydreaming has long been stigmatised as a bad habit in our culture obsessed with efficiency. People who daydream are often considered lazy, careless and unhappy. Parents tell their kids to “get that head out of the clouds and pay attention”.
The unfavourable reputation of daydreaming may be justified, according to several studies. Daydreaming can make us score worse on IQ tests, less productive or depressed. Driving while daydreaming may increase the chance of a traffic accident. Research also suggests a wandering mind is an unhappy mind: We tend to be less happy when we are not focused on what we are doing.
And yet, on average, we spend almost half of our waking time daydreaming. Daydreaming looks like a huge time waster if there are no worthwhile advantages.
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