Daydream
Daydreaming and just doing nothing is often thought of a waste of time where we’re not getting anything done. We reach for our phones to entertain us at every chance, instead of just being with our thoughts. But recent research has shown that daydreaming can actually be quite useful and can offer a host of benefits. Here’s a few:⠀
Daydreaming improves memory:
According to research from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, people who have a tendency to let their mind wander often have a more active brain, as well as a higher degree of working memory. In their study, researchers found that participants who daydreamed during easy tasks were more likely to remember information. Researchers believe that the mental process of daydreaming is actually very similar to the brain’s working memory system.⠀
Daydreaming helps us explore new ideas:
In a University of California at Santa Barbara study, students who were given an extremely boring task, meant to elicit mind-wandering, were better able to come up with ideas for unusual ways to use items.⠀
Daydreaming can help you de-stress:
Researchers from the Anti-Stress Center have found that daydreaming can lower stress levels as well as blood pressure.
Daydreaming can help solve problems: ⠀
Although we once thought that our minds are at rest when we’re daydreaming, research from the University of British Columbia suggests that we’re actually solving problems. Through MRI scans, researchers found that activity in the complex problem-solving areas of the brain were highly active during daydreaming episodes.⠀
Daydreaming organizes new information: ⠀
The same research from the University of British Columbia shows that daydreaming can actually consolidate learning. It’s been widely established that sleep and nighttime dreaming is an important part of the learning and memory process, but this research shows that daydreaming plays a major part as well. ⠀