Daydreaming Can Make You Smarter

If you suit your eyes and daydream, you can travel anywhere, achieve anything, and face any fear. But do these trips serve any purpose? Research shows that this simple daydreaming, in addition to being a pleasant way to pass your time, can actually make you smarter.

In certain cultures and environments, imagination is practically forbidden. Daydreaming there is seen as a waste of time, a useless way to use up your energy. Today we know that is not true.

Many people believe that daydreaming is passive. It’s not an activity. Rather, it inhibits real action. Again, this is a mistake. Scientists have discovered that imagination can be an important driver for action. Do you find this interesting? Let’s dive deeper into this topic.

The impact of daydreaming on memory

Psychologist Alan Pavio says that closing your eyes and visualizing ideas has a positive effect on your intellectual abilities.

This Canadian expert, known for his studies of the imagination in the 1970s, found that it is easier for people to close their eyes and imagine concrete things, such as a flower or the sun.

On the other hand, it is very difficult to imagine and remember abstract concepts such as such concepts as good, bad, happy and balanced. From these observations, he concluded that the concrete visualization of ideas helps improve memory. In other words, turning your ideas into mental images helps us remember them better.

The work of neuroscientist Eleanor Maguire supports this theory. Maguire, a professor at the University of London, studied the famous “memory athletes.”

These are people who win competitions because they can remember an extraordinary amount of information. She found that almost all of them use the mental visualization technique.

The power of imagination and daydreaming

Steve Kosslyn of Harvard University is another expert interested in the phenomenon of daydreaming or creating mental images of reality. His studies led him to conclude that imagining an object activates two-thirds of the brain regions that you would activate if you saw it in real life.

He also showed that imagining negative events affects people emotionally. For example, closing your eyes and daydreaming about a disaster causes fear and anxiety. This is the case even if you are fully aware that what you are imagining is not real.

The good thing is that this also applies to positive events. Closing your eyes and daydreaming about satisfying things you want to happen improves your mood and well-being. It helps reduce stress and promotes relaxation. It also contributes to productivity.

The more imagination you have, the smarter you are

Other available data indicates that it is possible to train your imagination to improve your memory and intellect. Experts believe it’s a way to get smarter, improve your mood, and even be in better shape.

With this in mind, neuroscientist Vinroth Ranganathan (English link) conducted a very interesting study. In 2004 he showed that the thought of contracting your muscles has a physical repercussion.

Essentially, he showed that after doing these mental exercises for a few weeks, the participants had developed more strength in the muscles they were “training” mentally.

He also showed that the muscle had retained its strength several months after it was interrupted. This suggests that if you imagine a task repeatedly and over a long period of time, you can cause physiological changes in your body.

The imagination gym

Daydreaming and letting your imagination run wild can be an excellent activity for your health and well-being. In fact, it’s something that you may already be doing without even realizing it. Most of us are constantly imagining and visualizing situations.

The secret is to do it consciously and try to practice positive visualization. If you practice with intention, you can make daydreaming work to your advantage. In other words, use the wide potential of your imagination to become a better person.

As with any skill, this takes practice. As Ranganathan said, it’s about forming a concrete mental image and daydreaming about it repeatedly.

Images of personal well-being, positive change, skill development, and so on. Studies show that focusing on these ideas can help turn them into reality. What are you waiting for? Put some of these techniques into practice today!