Daydreaming -hand-out 1

Daydreaming, or mind wandering, is characterised as thoughts that are disconnected from the
environment and the (often mundane) task at hand.

So what exactly is the brainy advantage? And how do we harness it?

1. Fill in the text with one of the words below:

desired achieve act reflecting alter procrastination

motivated fantasizing

Defocusing helps us focus

Dr. Gabriele Oettingen, a professor of psychology at NYU believes daydreams

are essential to helping individuals …………. their goals. She says that
……….about the anticipated achievement of a goal helps us to stay ………….. and
committed. In fact, by ………………………….. on present reality and comparing it
to fantasies about a ……………… future, we are driven to …….. .

Freud similarly believed in the power of daydreams, stating that they represent
“the human desire to ……………… the existing and often unsatisfactory or
unpleasant world of reality”.
Additional studies have discovered that mind-wandering that focuses on future
planning, and the steps involved in reaching a goal, help us to better prepare.
So, your daydreaming isn’t ………………………., it’s planning...depending on it’s
content.

2. Read the following text and write down one sentence that summarizes the main ideas
(e.g. Daydreaming improves creativity.)

Neuroscience research has shown that mind wandering lights up connections

across a series of interacting brain regions known as the default mode network
(DMN). This network is most commonly active when the brain is at wakeful
rest, when it’s planning the future, or focusing inwards. Recent studies suggest
that creative thinking is enhanced when our DMN is activated.

So what is this network up to? The DMN helps us to connect remotely

associated ideas, a process known to help with creative ideation. Think:
cupcake + ATM. the DMN can help steer ideas into a place where they can be
actioned.