Why Daydreaming is Healthy for Your Brain: Benefits and Studies

Do you ever catch yourself daydreaming? Then you are very healthy! Daydreaming has a number of great mental benefits.

Chris Griffiths en Caragh Medlicott

According to Chris Griffiths in Caragh Medlicottauthors van The Creative Thinking Handbookcreativity is now a kind of ‘mysterious power’, they say to Stylist. “Everyone wants more creativity, but many don’t know how to get it. And luckily, daydreaming is one surefire way to get all those innovative cogs in your head into action.”

In a study from the University of Calgary – conducted by Julia Kam – daydreaming is said to be associated with creativity. “Daydreaming increases alpha waves in the frontal cortex of the brain, which is often associated with increased creativity.”

“Critically, this study was conducted on participants performing everyday tasks. The ‘creative mind’ only applied when the participants were daydreaming in a ‘free-moving’ way. Worrying and worrying about the past therefore did not count in this, ”say the authors. And those results don’t lie.

It helps solve your problems

First of all, daydreaming can help solve your problems. Usually you want to run away from a problem, and daydreaming certainly allows you to do that, according to the study. “It often seems that the more you struggle, the more you get stuck,” Griffiths and Medlicott explain. “What could be better than finding out that taking one break can you help to solve your problem?”

“Another groundbreaking study from the University of British Columbia found that when we daydream, our brain actually lights up with activity,” they explain. “Daydreaming allows us to activate many parts of our brain at the same time, making it a great asset for making connections. Daydreaming can therefore ‘unconsciously’ provide the solution you are looking for.”

It reduces stress and anxiety

Another benefit of daydreaming is that it can reduce stress and anxiety. “When our thoughts are focused on the outside world – which can give rise to a flood of demands and stress – we sometimes tend to link this state back to ourselves,” the authors explain. “It is therefore not surprising that daydreaming can have the opposite effect.”

The gentlemen tell this from a study by a psychologist Kalina Christoff found that daydreaming can help to remove the effects of stress and anxiety. “Daydreaming is important to give our mind some breathing space,” the two state. “But when we get stressed, our brain tends to pin down and fixate on negative thoughts. This drains our mental energy again. The best way to loosen things up is to just daydream a little more.”

It brings you closer to your goals

In addition, daydreaming can help bring you closer to your goals. “We usually associate daydreaming with ‘dreaming away from our work that will ultimately help us achieve our goals’, but when incorporated into a good routine, purposeful daydreaming can have the opposite effect,” the gentlemen say. Do you daydream purposefully? Then imagining your goals can actually help you achieve those goals.

Remember information faster

Griffiths and Medlicott say that a study by Psychological Science shows that daydreamers actually perform better at remembering different information. “In fact, the study indicates that daydreaming can be especially helpful for your working memory (the information you need to store for a short period of time), meaning you’re less likely to walk in and forget what you came in for. You have more time to be creative.”

It gives you peace

Finally, daydreaming is of course a perfect way to give your brain some rest. Griffiths and Medlicott give an example: “A laptop left on for too long will overheat. And a phone that won’t charge won’t charge itself. The same logic can also be applied to our brains,” they say.

Although we sometimes do, humans are not made to work endlessly without a break. Giving yourself some breathing space is therefore very important. “In fact, a study from Microsoft shows that those who take regular breaks maintain better levels of neurological function. And that while those who don’t – due to an accumulation – can experience stress in the brain.”

Source: Stylist | Image: Averie Woodard (Unsplash)