Daydreaming is actually an important tool to improve performance

Considering the contributions of Archimedes, Newton and Einstein all emanated from ‘Aha!’ moments of illuminating thought, it is heartening to hear that some scientists in California aver that even lesser mortals can benefit from a spot of revelatory daydreaming.

Many have found the contemplative pose made famous by Rodin’s ‘Thinker’ to be particularly productive — especially when transposed to rather more mundane settings in the morning — so this reiteration of the notion that sitting idle is not wasteful is welcome. After all, the link between daydreaming and creativity was affirmed by conventional wisdom long before scientists proved it in laboratory conditions, and encapsulated in the adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Countless workers, office-goers and even students would heartily confirm the discovery that difficult tasks are handled better if people have some downtime beforehand to refresh their approach. Mind wandering as a cognitive tool needs to be looked at very seriously by relevant authorities as it has been shown that it can actually improve performance and problem-solving by as much as 40%. This assumes further significance when seen in conjunction with earlier data showing that human minds tend to wander 47% of the time anyway.

The scientists’ discovery that the epiphanic and rejuvenatory nature of officially-sanctioned breaks are diminished if people skip off-times or use it to do other equally-demanding tasks or even catch a snooze, also reiterates the importance of active daydreaming. Edgar Allen Poe realised that — perhaps in precisely such a ruminative phase — and summed it up succinctly thus, “They who dream by day are cognisant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”