Daydreaming May Be Good for Self-Development

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Jaime Menchén

Daydreaming May Be Good for Self-Development

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It turns out that daydreaming may not be a bad thing after all. We recently wrote about how mind wandering could be good to solve problems and bring up new ideas; now, researchers in the US maintain that inward attention may play an important role in the children’s development.

They studied the ‘default mode’ of the brain, which is activated with mind wandering. They found that this default mode is related to socioemotional well-being and has an impact in the way we learn and look at the world.

‘We focus on the outside world in education and don’t look much at inwardly focused reflective skills and attentions, but inward focus impacts the way we build memories, make meaning and transfer that learning into new contexts,’ says Immordino-Yang, lead author of the study. ‘What are we doing in schools to support kids turning inward?’

The study, titled ‘Rest Is Not Idleness’, emphasize the importance of keeping ‘a balance between outward and inward attention,’ says Immordino-Yang. ‘Since time spent mind wandering, reflecting and imagining may also improve the quality of outward attention that kids can sustain.’

Source: Medical Xpress, Medical Daily

Photo: superdecor/stock.xchng

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Joanna A. Christodoulou, & Vanessa Singh (2012). Rest Is Not Idleness: Implications of the Brain’s Default Mode for Human Development and Education Perspectives on Psychological Science DOI: 10.1177/1745691612447308

Recommended Reading:

Six Steps in Self-development
Rudolf Steiner

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TAGS: Daydreaming, health, research, self-development

jacob wussler

i was wondering that if daydreaming can help, does the concept of sleep on it apply to day dreaming. Knowing that the brain is still problem solving even while asleep.Would it be possible to solve problems by way of daydreaming.
- Jaime Menchén
  
  Sleeping and daydreaming may activate different parts of the brain, but you’re right on thinking that daydreaming may help solving problems. This post is about the importance of daydreaming on building up the personality, but the one I link at the beginning of the article is actually about what you’re suggesting. Apparently, mind wandering may be useful to become more creative and solve problems that ‘were already being mentally chewed on’, according to the scientists.
Bethany

I think daydreaming could have beneficial effects, but perhaps only in the right circumstances. When one needs to focus on the task at hand. However, daydreaming allows one to explore memories as well as new possibilities. Sometimes memories can unlock new possibilities, especially if one can identify learned lessons from the past and what not to repeat. This general concept of self-reflection could prevent decay of memories. If one is allowed to think about and explore those memories, perhaps new solutions and problem-solving techniques could be discovered.