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The Death of Daydreaming

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707 points isolli | 4 comments | 05 May 25 12:22 UTC | HN request time: 0.46s | source
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hirvi74 ◴[05 May 25 15:44 UTC] No.43896305[source]▶
I do not know about this. As in, I do not doubt that necessity of daydreaming, and I do not doubt something is being lost. However, I think daydreaming can also be dangerous in of itself. There is even a term for it called, "maladaptive daydreaming."

Obviously, that is the extreme on the opposite side of the spectrum. But from what I recall reading, daydreaming, evenly moderately, can be somewhat unproductive. I mean that in the sense that daydreaming can provide the brain with a shortcut to a feeling that would be better served if an action provided it.

For example, one can daydream about going to the gym and becoming more healthy. One can follow the daydream all the way through. However, at least in my case, I have caught myself enjoying the pleasurable feelings and the "one day, I will..." too much to the point that I never go to the gym.

I think my brain has learned that I can quell whatever feeling I am having in the moment by daydreaming. It's my brain's shortcut. It's as if my mind say, "Why spend the effort to do something when we can just imagine how it feels and enjoy the reward now?"

Like anything in life, the key is balance. However, creating that balance is not easy in my experience.

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1. jjulius ◴[05 May 25 16:09 UTC] No.43896570[source]▶
>It's my brain's shortcut. It's as if my mind say, "Why spend the effort to do something when we can just imagine how it feels and enjoy the reward now?"

But I'd wager that, deep down, you know that the feeling you get thinking about it is far different from the actual feelings (both physical and mental) you'd get if you'd actually done it, no? I know that's been the case in the past for myself with regards to some thoughts - I know what I'm doing and I know that nothing will improve until I do it, and then I'm thrilled in ways beyond just what the thought provided when I actually execute.

This also kinda misses the forest for the trees. Not acting on a desire you think of is separate from the idea that people don't give their brains a break.

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2. hirvi74 ◴[05 May 25 16:33 UTC] No.43896879[source]▶
> But I'd wager that, deep down, you know that the feeling you get thinking about it is far different from the actual feelings (both physical and mental) you'd get if you'd actually done it, no?

I suppose there is probably some ratio for any given task that is amount of effort:reward. So, for some tasks, I would gladly take a quarter of the reward to avoid spending ten times the effort to acquire it.

> Not acting on a desire you think of is separate from the idea that people don't give their brains a break.

I agree and disagree. While there are obvious differences, I do believe not giving one's brain a break is partly causative in depleting one's desire/ability to act.

We all have different experiences, but I do not think daydreaming is really giving my mind a break. I find my mind to be quite active while daydreaming. But everyone is different, I suppose.

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3. jjulius ◴[05 May 25 16:57 UTC] No.43897101[source]▶
>... I do believe not giving one's brain a break is partly causative in depleting one's desire/ability to act.

The response I am flippantly tempted to argue is that it's good for people to not be acting/doing all the time and that downtime is essential, but, as we've both acknowledged, there's nuance there, and it all boils down to what the desire is and what the consequence(s) is/are should we not act.

>I find my mind to be quite active while daydreaming. But everyone is different, I suppose.

Totally! I mentioned elsewhere in this thread that I love backpacking in silence and without using my phone. These are 3-4 day trips deep in the wilderness, completely disconnected from the rest of the world and entirely in my own headspace. I love those moments, but I know plenty of people in meatspace who've expressed to me that they don't know how I can do that because of the way their own trains of thought run/work.

4. gessha ◴[05 May 25 17:33 UTC] No.43897428[source]▶
There was a study mentioned in one of Dr. K(YouTube)’s videos which cited that daydreaming or unstructured time is used for subconscious processing of thoughts and emotions and not giving your mind time for that causes negative consequences like like of sleep.

Of course, when I looked up citations on this I found some links on maladaptive daydreaming as well ._.”