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Reflecting a deep boredom, daydreaming is little appreciated in the professional environment. However, these moments of absence actually have benefits for our brain, according to a study.
Who has never stared into space in a meeting? An unserious attitude, especially in the world of work, daydreaming would not be useless, quite the contrary. According to a study, immersing yourself in your thoughts actually helps you better assimilate and process information. Discover the benefits of daydreaming and reassure your boss if he thinks you’re too distracted.
Effective neural activity even when daydreaming
American researchers carried out a study aimed at analyzing brain activity during physical inactivity.
For this study, scientists worked with mice. They exposed them to two different images, projected one after the other on a screen. Following these projections, a gray screen was displayed for one minute. In the experiment, this corresponded to a “visual void”.
The results ? Although the mice were physically inactive while the gray screen was shown, their neurons continued to emit electrical signals specific to the two previous images. Furthermore, these signals mimicked the neuronal activity observed when viewing previous images.
Getting lost in thought could stimulate the creation of new neural networks and improve an individual’s ability to assimilate and process information.
Moments of reverie essential for better memorization
On the other hand, the researchers in this study found that neuronal activity occurred mainly when the mice were relaxed. This was especially observed at the start of the day after they had been repeatedly exposed to the same images.
According to the researchers, the daydreaming phase in question would help and even be essential for the distinction and memorization of the two previous images. These phases of cerebral relaxation would thus play a role in the process of memorization and plasticity of the brain.
Promising results
The results of this study suggest new perspectives on the benefits of daydreaming, including at work. Daydreaming could indeed be beneficial for memory. Your little moments of absence could then help your brain to better adapt to the following activities.
Although these results are promising, further research is needed to establish a definitive causal relationship between daydreaming and brain plasticity. Future studies could notably include memorization tests in real conditions on individuals at work.
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