Daydreaming is more beneficial than we think, and science says so

In a professional setting, an individual who stares into space during a meeting is often viewed as aloof or bored. However, recent work done by American scientists and published in a prestigious journal nature She suggests that these moments of absence may actually be good for our brains. The study suggests that getting lost in thought can stimulate the creation of new neural networks, improving our ability to absorb and process information.

The researchers conducted a series of experiments on mice. This involved monitoring the rodents' brain activity while they were exposed to two separate images of a chessboard, which were displayed on a screen followed by a one-minute gray screen period. They discovered that even though the mice were physically inactive, their neurons continued to emit image-specific electrical signals, even during moments of blank vision. What was even more amazing was that when the mice stared at the gray screen, their neural activity did not stop; It mimicked what was observed when viewing images, suggesting that the rodents were “dreaming” about previously seen images.

Basic stages of daydreaming

This neural activity occurred mainly when the mice were relaxed, especially at the beginning of the day after being exposed to the same images repeatedly. The researchers noted that these stages of daydreaming seem necessary to distinguish and memorize the two different images.

The implications of this discovery are significant. Periods of apparent inactivity contribute to brain plasticity, that is, the brain's ability to change and adapt. Although more research is needed to establish a specific causal relationship between daydreaming and brain plasticity, the current findings are promising.