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0Daydreaming: a distraction or a vehicle for ideas?
Daydreaming has a bad reputation – we say things like "he's away with the fairies" or "she has her head in the clouds" implying these people are inattentive, easily distracted, maybe even lazy. Is this reputation justified? Or is a trip to la-la land actually something that might benefit us?
First, it's important to differentiate daydreaming from mind wandering. Mind wandering happens when you're busy with a task and your mind disengages from it, whereas daydreaming happens when you're doing nothing and spontaneous thoughts unrelated to your surroundings pop up. In a review of research called 'The costs and benefits of mind-wandering', the authors found mind wandering negatively impacted reading comprehension, attention, memory and intelligence. None of that sounds great, so are there any benefits at all?
Activities that allow your mind to wander, like having a bath or meditating can lead to the 'aha' moment that you've been waiting for, which is why people often say they have their best ideas in the shower. This might work in the workplace too.
In a 2021 study called 'Zoning out or breaking through? Linking daydreaming to creativity in the workplace', the authors concluded that "daydreaming carries noteworthy benefits for creativity". In other words, daydreaming at work may help you to come up with solutions to your problems. It's also suggested that daydreaming can provide a sort of mental escape, both from the difficulty of the task, but also from the stresses of everyday life.
So, it seems daydreaming might be a bit of a double-edged sword, and the extent to which it provides benefits rather than downsides depends on things like how positive the thoughts are as well as your ability to identify and control them. If you find yourself endlessly staring into space, pondering the meaning of life while you're trying to get things done, why not try a mindfulness technique?
Observe the thoughts as they pop up, visualise them as clouds and watch them pass by. Alternatively, when you've got some time to yourself, instead of reading a book or listening to music, why not let yourself get lost in thought?
词汇表
daydreaming [ˈdeɪˌdriːmɪŋ] n. 白日梦，做白日梦
be away with the fairies [ˈfeərɪz] 神游天外，精神恍惚 ，心不在焉
have one's head in the clouds 想入非非，心不在焉
inattentive [ˌɪnəˈtentɪv] adj. 注意力不集中的，不专心的
la-la land 幻想世界，虚幻之境
mind wandering 走神，思绪漫游
disengage [ˌdɪsɪnˈɡeɪdʒ] vi. 脱离，摆脱
spontaneous [spɒnˈteɪniəs] adj. 自发的，自然产生的
pop up 突然出现，冒出来，浮现
'aha' moment [ˈɑːhɑː] 顿悟时刻，恍然大悟的瞬间
zone out [zəʊn] 走神，发呆
noteworthy [ˈnəʊtwɜːði] adj. 值得注意的，显著的
double-edged sword [ˌdʌbl edʒd sɔːd] 双刃剑
downside [ˈdaʊnsaɪd] n. 缺点，不利方面
stare into space 发呆，出神，呆呆地望着前方
ponder [ˈpɒndə(r)] vt. 思索，考虑，沉思
mindfulness [ˈmaɪndfəlnəs] n. 正念，专注当下
visualise [ˈvɪʒuəlaɪz] vt. 想象，使形象化
alternatively [ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪvli] adv. 或者，作为替代
lost in thought 陷入沉思，沉浸在思绪中
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