Why do people daydream?

Another reason why we dream is that it feels good. It feels good to think about walking around our dream home; driving that dream car; sharing time with that dream partner; improving our health and appearance; or earning that large salary. When we think about something we desire our brain encourages the release of positive hormones which give us a positive feeling.

And now there is another powerful reason for giving ourselves permission to daydream. Using brain scanners, scientists in Canada, have surprisingly discovered that parts of the brain become more active when it is daydreaming. We may not necessarily use our brains in a focussed way when we daydream, but some parts of our brains associated with complex problem solving become very busy.

In fact, it would appear that we spend approximately one-third of our waking time daydreaming. Normally, we are not consciously aware that we are doing this because our attention is on the subject of our imaginations; however, it is possible to retrace our mental steps by thinking about what we have just been thinking. You can do this by just leaving a note to yourself perhaps by the computer screen, on the kitchen table or somewhere you frequently look at. Label the note: ‘What am I thinking?’ What you will find is that your mind is almost constantly pondering things deep within itself and operating as the guiding mechanism for your actions, behaviours and emotions (Christoff et al, 2009).