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The Death of Daydreaming

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hirvi74 ◴[] 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. Capricorn2481 ◴[] No.43908492[source]
> maladaptive daydreaming

I went through a really bad spell of this in my life. I was pacing in my house for 6-8 hours a day just imagining scenarios. My feet would hurt and I knew I was making myself miserable, but it was obsessive. The scenarios weren't high stakes arguments, they were things I wanted to do. Quite bizarre.

I don't miss that time, and I think I would prefer scrolling, even if it's objectively bad for me. I am curious if Maladaptive Daydreaming will be a real medical term someday, or if it's just a specific symptom of anxiety and ADHD.