The Natural Buzz of Daydreaming, With Meaning and Purpose
We spend up to 50 percent of our waking state consciousness engrossed in daydreaming activities.
Our "dreamscape" sparkles with wish-filled imaginings and aspirations of how we'd like things to be.
Our fantasies hatch creativities, guidelines and actionable plans for a better, more prosperous future.
Unlike Disneyland, our private fantasyland of daydreams requires no commute, no entry fee, or waiting in tedious, endless lines. Faster than the blink of an eye, we enter a wish-filled world, an exclusive, exhilarating dreamscape of our invention. Visitors are welcome by invitation only. At times, however, uninvited “trespassers,” or personally troubling ruminations, defile our otherwise pleasant internal milieux and demand our attention.
Surprisingly, we spend one-third to half of our waking state consciousness daydreaming or fantasizing. What triggers this prolific mental venturing, this rampant escapism? And why do we distract ourselves, meander off task, or listlessly drift through the wilds of our imagination?
Purposeful Daydreaming
Actually, there’s a clear evolutionary advantage to this sizeable investment of our mental resources. Our promenades down fantasy lane have personal meanings and a purpose; they’re not simply random irregularities or neural spasms. Metaphorically, the “hidden universe” of our imagination has specific goals, “a working destination,” unlike the natural universe, which is expanding indefinitely and seemingly without purpose into something yet to be understood.
As you might expect, neuropsychologists have identified the personal significance, value, and purpose of our dreamy meanderings and sundry, fancified reconstructions of reality customized to achieve our needs and desires.
Well-Orchestrated........
