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The Why Factor: Daydreaming

Daydreaming

10/04/2015

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Daydreaming

Does everyone’s mind wander? And why do we do it?

Does everyone’s mind wander at some point during the day?  And what happens to us, and our lives, when we daydream?

Freud thought daydreaming was not a useful activity, and many teachers across the world have been heard to say “stop daydreaming” to their pupils. But it seems to have redeeming purposes. 

Opera singer Noah Stewart explains how he uses daydreaming as a way to prepare himself for the stage.  And Peter Moore, an IT contractor who was held hostage in Iraq, describes how his mind began to fill the emptiness of his days with dreams of escape and comfort.

While daydreaming may be universal across cultures, there seem to be many differences in in how we do it - from playful vivid fantasies, to problem solving, to obsessing. And is daydreaming a taboo subject? We explore why it’s not discussed.

(Photo: A young girl lies on the grass daydreaming. Credit: George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images)

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