We daydream one third of our time. Not without a reason, says modern neuroscience. Brain scans show that during daydreams parts of our brain associated with complex problem solving, light up. Until those scans, doctors assumed the brain was just idle.

The new findings show that in fact our mind is more active during daydreaming than while reasoning with a problem. This means also that working too long is counterproductive for new ideas and good decision making. The research also supports theories from John Cleese’s favourite book ‘Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind’. At our 2008 Creativity World Forum, Cleese talked about our ‘productive subconscious’, how it processes information while we stop conscious reasoning and rest, wander or wonder.

So, Saint-Pol-Roux, the French symbolist poet was not totally wrong to put an plaque with “Le poète travaille” on his door when he was napping. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, as Jack Nicholson brilliantly evocated in The Shining. There is some truth in art, and at last science jumps to support the hunch so many people have.

Next time one of your colleagues is daydreaming, refrain from clapping your hands next to his/her head or accuse the person of wasting company time. He/she might be doing more complex work than you.

Source article: Fast Company

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