Intelligent people Daydream More - Healthbiztips
Intelligent people Daydream More
At first glance, daydreaming may sound like a useless distraction, but research debunks this common notion and actually associates mind wandering with intelligence. Curious isn't it? Daydreaming may be the last thing in your mind when you think about an intelligent person. I mean, how can you accomplish a goal if your mind keeps on wandering?
Remember Bruce Lee's famous line "The successful warrior is the average man, with laser focus."
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| Intelligent people Daydream More photo credit @filmape Jay @unsplash |
@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan
Studies shows that daydreaming points to intelligence and creativity.
Daydreaming may look like a no-brainer, but it actually involves complex parts of the brain.
Even when you are not doing anything, certain areas in your brain becomes active. This area of your brain is called the default mode network (DMN) which includes the medial prefrontal cortex, medial temporal lobe, and posterior cingulate cortex. The default mode network deactivates during tasks that require concentration.
I have to point out that people with high intelligence are not stuck in their daydream, but instead, can easily get back to reality when needed. The brain do not stop working even when the person is on standby, another part of the brain enables daydreaming, but when it's time to get real, they can quickly get back to reality.
MRI scan reveals that intelligent people are very good at juggling between their daydream and real life tasks.
Research shows that people with higher intelligence tend to daydream more compared to average people. They also show more creativity. But, daydreaming is not a rare phenomenon.
In fact, daydreaming engages our mind, so much, that it consumes about 30% to 50% of our waking hours. In a sense, daydreaming keeps our mind healthy.
Daydreaming have positive mental health benefits like enabling problem solving, lifting the mood, and planning future actions.
Resources:
CA, Goodwin, et al. "Functional connectivity within and between intrinsic brain networks correlates with trait mind wandering." Neuropsychologia. Aug;103:140-153. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.006. Epub 2017 Jul 10.
McMillan, Rebecca L et al. “Ode to positive constructive daydreaming” Frontiers in psychology vol. 4 626. 23 Sep. 2013, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00626
