daydreaming

Daydreaming is a spontaneous flow of thoughts, images, or imagined scenarios that shifts attention from external tasks to internal content. It often appears as reverie, fantasy, or envisioned futures and is typically unplanned, though it can be triggered by mood, fatigue, boredom, or routine tasks. Daydreaming can be brief or extend into longer mental episodes.

Neuroscientific studies associate daydreaming with the brain's default mode network, a set of regions active when the mind is at rest and not focused on external tasks. The content usually draws on memory, personal concerns, social relations, and imagined outcomes, and it can involve planning, problem solving, or creative ideation. It often occurs during low-demand activities such as commuting or waiting.

Functions attributed to daydreaming include future planning, creative insight, mood regulation, and social rehearsal. By simulating possible events and reflecting on past experiences, it can help integrate knowledge and prepare for real-life decisions. It may also serve as a mental break that reduces stress.

Variability in frequency and style is common across individuals and situations. In most people daydreaming is normal and beneficial, but excessive or disruptive daydreaming can interfere with task performance or relate to rumination, attention disorders, or mood conditions in some cases. Clinicians distinguish it from dissociation or pathological fantasy when assessing mental health.