daydreams

Daydreams are a form of spontaneous, self-generated mental activity that occurs while a person is awake and not fully focused on external tasks. They involve mental imagery, fantasy, planning, reminiscence, or imagined scenarios and are typically internally driven rather than responses to immediate stimuli. Daydreaming can occur during routine or low-demand activities, fatigue, or moments of quiet reflection.

Daydreams can vary in content and orientation. They may be future-oriented, such as imagining outcomes or rehearsing conversations; past-oriented, as in recalling memories; or entirely invented, involving imagined places, events, or social interactions. They often center on personal relevance and may involve personal goals, relationships, or hypothetical situations. Content can range from pleasant and uplifting to anxious or ruminative, depending on mood and context.

Cognitive and neural aspects. Daydreaming is linked to brain networks associated with internal mentation, most notably the default mode network. It can reflect creative thinking and problem-solving when later integrated with task goals, and some researchers argue it contributes to memory consolidation and planning. However, excessive or distressing daydreaming can accompany mood disorders or anxiety, and prolonged drifts can interfere with task performance in some settings.

Relationship to related concepts. Daydreaming is a subset of mind-wandering and is often contrasted with externally focused attention. Individual differences exist in how frequently and intensely people daydream, a characteristic studied under measures of fantasy proneness and trait daydreaming.