No matter what business you are in, no matter whether you are a professional or an amateur sports person the way you thinks determines how productive, successful and happy you will be. BeMe programmes help you take control of your thinking. The following is an interesting article by Robin Bailey, Senior Lecturer in Psychological Therapies at the University of Central Lancashire.
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Daydreaming is one of life’s great joys. You can indulge in it when you’re stuck in a boring meeting or a long queue. This seemingly innocuous pastime, however, is a double-edged sword. Some research has found that it boosts creativity, but other studies suggests that it is bad for your mental health and could lower your intelligence.
Before we look at the downside to daydreaming, let’s first look at the positive side. In a study conducted by psychologists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, undergraduate students were asked to come up with as many uses for everyday objects – such as toothpicks, clothes hangers and bricks – as they could in two minutes, take a 12-minute break, and then repeat the exercise.
The students were able to generate more creative uses for the objects the second time around if their break involved completing an undemanding task, which is known to promote more daydreaming, compared with a break filled with a more attention-demanding task, known to reduce daydreaming.
Daydreaming has also been linked with feeling socially connected. In a study conducted by the University of Sheffield, a group of participants were induced to feel lonely. Afterwards, they were instructed to either daydream about someone special, daydream about a non-social situation, or complete a mentally demanding task.
