# Daydreaming



## XL Sweatshirt (Feb 11, 2011)

Did any of you guys daydream a lot growing up? Do any of you guys _still_ daydream a lot?

Is daydreaming a quality of the introvert? Or only certain personality types? 

I used to daydream heavily as a child. It was hard to keep me focused, as I'd often zone out. Especially in class. Or on a car ride. 

I do notice I daydream less now that I'm older. But do most adults quit daydreaming altogether?


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## luxurieux (Aug 11, 2011)

I daydreamed as a kid, I still daydream now. All the time. In class, in the car, at home, wherever. I'm only 16, but I doubt I will ever really get over daydreaming so much. Hah.


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## PeopleDoNotThink (Sep 1, 2011)

I daydream sometime when I don't want to... It's annoying... QUIET DOWN, BRAIN!


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## HWard (Aug 24, 2011)

I'm a serial day-dreamer too. When I was younger I was forever wandering away mentally from lessons; I still do too in lectures at university. If I'm doing something which doesn't require me to pay much attention i.e. walking/cycling etc. I daydream - I mentally cannot stop myself from doing it.


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## absentminded (Dec 3, 2010)

Yeah, I day-dreamed a lot as a kid and I do it a ton now as well.

I think IxxP's are very prone to day-dreaming because an intuitive function is nested in the middle of our functional arrangements. ISxPs have tertiary Ni, which they use to have fun and INxPs have auxiliary Ne which we use to interface the world. Both are very good at finding zillions of tangents and following them aimlessly.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

absentminded said:


> Yeah, I day-dreamed a lot as a kid and I do it a ton now as well.
> 
> I think IxxP's are very prone to day-dreaming because an intuitive function is nested in the middle of our functional arrangements. ISxPs have tertiary Ni, which they use to have fun and INxPs have auxiliary Ne which we use to interface the world. Both are very good at finding zillions of tangents and following them aimlessly.


Yes. 

I'm an adult and still daydream.


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## Uncommon Nature (Sep 3, 2011)

Yes, I daydreamed a lot as a kid, making up fantasy worlds and characters. I'm 16 now and I don't do it nearly as much as I used to and my daydreams aren't as creative but I still do it a lot.

I suspect it has something to do with being an introvert. Isolation brings out creativity.


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## Zeez Theory (Sep 1, 2011)

I daydreamed a lot when I was younger but it was always about non-sense. I was always a quick learner in school so I never payed too much attention in my class. I cant even begin count how many times I've been called on by the teacher to answer a question when, suddenly!, reality kicks in a I hadn't a clue what the current lecture was about.

Honestly though... I still daydream a lot but it's more theoretical and extreme mathematics. I think what kick-starts my imagination is when I second-guess probability. I don't think you really stop imagining as you get older like some of you say, you may just being imagining things differently than how you used it. Pay attention next time you do.


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## caffeine_buff (Feb 20, 2011)

when i was young i used to completely tune out the world because i was daydreaming... a bus driver once got out of his vehicle to pinch me into awareness because i hadn't even heard him honk when i was walking down a road, lol.

now i still daydream a lot but the topics have changed a lot.


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## amucha (Jul 24, 2011)

When I was little I daydreamed ALL the time. My family told me you could often see that I had just spaced out entirely :b
I still do that, but I like to think it's not as obvious now. 

Who am I kidding, of course it is...


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## DeductiveReasoner (Feb 25, 2011)

I used to zone out a lot and daydream as a kid. It got to the point where my first grade teacher had to call my mother and ask about it. I still zone out a lot in the car, which is probably why I have yet to get my driver's license :/


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## XL Sweatshirt (Feb 11, 2011)

Interesting. Many more responses from you guys than my fellow ISFP's. I wasn't sure if it was because of being an ISFP, an introvert or my enneagram 4 that made me a daydreamer. I guess it's more likely because I'm a enneagram 4.

It was interuptive to my studies as a kid, teen and even in my early twenties as a university student. It's calmed down these days and I don't slip into them as severely as I used to. Such as, I can work between day dreams and being fully awake to the world at the same time. But, I'm guilty of creating fantasy worlds in my head that I live out. And I'm also guilty of thought tangents.


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## Pelao (Apr 24, 2011)

I'm 20 and I day-dream in full force every day. For a period of time a few years ago I feel like I didn't do it as much, but now seeing all the possibilities of what to do in the world, my mind just goes wherever it wants whenever it wants. It's cool though because as I learn about MBTI theory, my day-dreams are more controllable. As in, I can actually focus when people talk (GASP!). I've also become more aware of my thought process as I day-dream so that I can stop it instantly as it begins so that I don't miss what's going on around me, or so that I can make myself comfortable and enjoy the next couple minutes in my zoned out trance.


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## SteffSweetlySour (May 4, 2010)

I can focus when I need to, but when I don't need to focus I'm daydreaming! I don't think it's lessened any since I was little... When I'm left to my own devices I daydream, its what I do!


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## L (Aug 12, 2011)

My daydreaming will never stop...I can remain on autopilot while daydreaming, while I won't remember anything while I am daydreaming I can still notice things.

I only do it when I'm bored or doing something mundane though.

I daydream while driving, I have yet to be in an accident, and I have even been in a few almost accidents (live around forests and deer run out all willy nilly) sometimes you will pop over a mini-hill and it will be there. I snap out of my daydream, handle the situation, and go back to driving/daydreaming. It's like when something relevant happens to me my body snaps me out of it, it's really hard to explain.

I once tried to quit daydreaming for a week...I think I lost part of my sanity that week....In fact I only lasted 2 days lol, it is THAT ingrained into who I am.

I am forced to daydream in order to sleep...If I get depressed about something then I won't daydream as much which means that I don't daydream to get to sleep which means that I go full on insmoniac without daydreaming.

Perhaps it is an INTP thing, perhaps it is just a me thing, but what I do know is that I literally could not survive without daydreaming, it is just something I cannot put into adequate words, but something I know for an absolute fact.


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## AkiKaza (Jun 1, 2010)

DeductiveReasoner said:


> I used to zone out a lot and daydream as a kid. It got to the point where my first grade teacher had to call my mother and ask about it. I still zone out a lot in the car, which is probably why I have yet to get my driver's license :/


I still don't have my license. My main reason was this - how am I supposed to daydream if I'm concentrated on driving? But I can put it off for four more years - my university has a bus system, which I am so damn happy about


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## XL Sweatshirt (Feb 11, 2011)

Oh, wow. That's intense day dreaming if it's keeping you from driving. I used to have that problem in class pretty badly. It was definitely disruptive to my classroom engagement and studies. And it used to be problematic in social situations, too. If I'm a passenger, I certainly zone out, but while driving, I go into auto pilot and am able to drive successfully (amazingly, to me) and day dream. I guess you have to learn how to stay focused enough to learn the details of driving then can drift off mentally.


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## HWard (Aug 24, 2011)

IndyAnnaJoan said:


> ... But, I'm guilty of creating fantasy worlds in my head that I live out. And I'm also guilty of thought tangents.


I do that too, too often too.



L_Lawliet said:


> My daydreaming will never stop...I can remain on autopilot while daydreaming, while I won't remember anything while I am daydreaming I can still notice things.
> 
> I only do it when I'm bored or doing something mundane though.
> 
> ...


When I was younger, I did a paper round; the amount of times I had stopped somewhere and didn't know how I had go there was scary - I daydreamed/auto-piloted that job.

I'm concerned if and when I drive that I'll kill someone because I was daydreaming :/

I tried stopping too, like you it didn't work. It's really hard not to and I'd keep finding myself doing it, telling myself off for doing it, then start doing it again in a few minutes. I doubt I could survive without it - the world would be too depressingly boring.



AkiKaza said:


> I still don't have my license. My main reason was this - how am I supposed to daydream if I'm concentrated on driving? But I can put it off for four more years - my university has a bus system, which I am so damn happy about


One of the reasons I haven't learnt how to drive either .


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## MissBennett (May 8, 2011)

I daydream 24/7 and in fact i get called out on it a lot. My friends have branded me 'the daydreamer'. I tend to do it more though when i'm in a social situation; I think its because i'm introvert, and since i am expelling energy by being surrounded by people, daydreaming is a way that i can 'recharge' ,if you will, on energy.


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## Deni (Aug 7, 2011)

I daydream just about everyday, Especially when I'm in class and the teacher starts to open her mouth >_>


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## Anima (Sep 3, 2011)

Hey guys, I've done some digging on this subject, so here it is. 

Daydreaming is the result of the brain reverting to its normal state in the absence of engaging problems,rather than a pointless distraction. Scientists suggest that this is the brain's normal state. So, all personality types could daydream, but each of them would do it in a different way, about different things, having different motives and most of all with different frequency.

In the late 1960s two distinguished psychologists created a daydream scale, called the Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI). When this scale was used in a research in 1980s, the researchers found that ''Israeli'' high school students who scored high on the Daydreaming Scale of the IPI had more Empathy than students who scored low''. Furthermore, research with fMRI shows that brain areas associated with complex problem-solving become activated during daydreaming episodes. 

The Intuitive types are the most likely to daydream as they are paying the most attention to impressions or
the meaning and patterns of the information they get, rather than Sensing types that are paying attention to physical reality,what they see, hear, touch,taste, and smell.

So, considering the above we could deduce that NFs are more prone to engage in daydreaming, having empathy as one of their most stand-out attributes, imagining vividly ideas and circumstances in their own romantic way, dreaming about future possibilities, and also NT's that are thinking about problems and how they could be solved, having new ideas and imagining how they could evolve...

When we daydream our brain state resembles the one when we actually dream in our sleep, in which our brain operates with Theta brain waves. 

In theta state, vivid imagery flashes before the mind's eye and we are receptive to information beyond our normal conscious awareness. Theta brainwave has also been identified as the gateway to learning and memory.The Theta state is where intuition comes, instantaneous healings occur and accelerated learning occurs.

Now, there’s another brainwave called Beta wave are the most commonly found in awake individual out of all brain wave patterns. BetaWaves have been associated with an increased ability to focus on our external reality.

So, we could correlate Intuitive types with Theta states and Sensing types with Beta states. And as Theta brain waves are responsible for this kind of “lucid dreaming’’ then the intuitive types, NFsand NTs daydream more than the other types, indeed.

However an intuitive introvert is more likely to daydream than an extrovert and tends to do it with a greater frequency. That is because an introvert seeks time alone with his thoughts. Itis from being alone and engaging in activities he finds interesting that the introvert derives his energy. So as much as an extrovert could daydream, hewon't overexert himself as an introvert would do.

What do you think?


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## L (Aug 12, 2011)

@_Anima_ awesome, except is there a website you could post a link to as well? That is the only thing missing, but that is awesome and a good read thank you for posting.


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## Anima (Sep 3, 2011)

L_Lawliet said:


> @ awesome, except is there a website you could post a link to as well? That is the only thing missing, but that is awesome and a good read thank you for posting.


glad you liked it!!! I tried to include some links in the end but it won't let me, I think because I only posted once.... :/ 

you could find them in google though....


control mind. info ----> for theta brainwave
wikipedia for Daydreaming
cosmosmagazine for daydreaming improves thinking

Psychologytribe for REM, Intuition and Daydreaming


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## Penemue (Feb 23, 2010)

Have any of you considered binaural beats? Or even visual stimulation, it's meant to greatly enhance brain activity and stimulate certain brainwave patterns. Personally if i'm in bed and i'm daydreaming then it helps to cut out outside distractions to listen to white noise. I used to daydream all the time about anything and create shadows for myself, and still do, but it's a little harder to in college because it requires more attention. But everyday for the 40 minute bus ride to college and back i listen to music and daydream and for hours in bed before i can sleep

Edit: Just looked at some of the links, and realised i do hyperfocus from time to time rolling dice for hours and my mind goes blank


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## DeductiveReasoner (Feb 25, 2011)

AkiKaza said:


> I still don't have my license. My main reason was this - how am I supposed to daydream if I'm concentrated on driving? But I can put it off for four more years - my university has a bus system, which I am so damn happy about


Lol yeah, I tried to do that too, except dear old mum and pop refuse to pay for my tuition to a big university (that has a bus system) for my first year of college because they're scared I'll do nothing but party. Which means I have to get my license and drive myself (and everyone else) around like a big girl.

dammit


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## dejavu (Jun 23, 2010)

Do I ever daydream.

In 3rd grade, I daydreamed so hard I fell out of my chair. Parents were called.

I still daydream a lot, but I've also become very good at keeping myself busy and entertained. The internet is mostly what's responsible for this. If I'm not doing something, I am daydreaming.


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## XL Sweatshirt (Feb 11, 2011)

The power of daydreaming: The Power of Daydreaming | Psychology Today


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## Kakarookee (Mar 27, 2011)

L_Lawliet said:


> I once tried to quit daydreaming for a week...I think I lost part of my sanity that week....In fact I only lasted 2 days lol, it is THAT ingrained into who I am.


Stop it? How can that even be done?


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## L (Aug 12, 2011)

Kakarookee said:


> Stop it? How can that even be done?


Evidently it can't....atleast for me lol.


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## Zeez Theory (Sep 1, 2011)

Of all the threads I've read, this is my favorite.
Thank you ...


IndyAnnaJoan said:


> ---


^^ for posting this.
And thank you everyone for all the info provided. 

I find it hard to change my mind set/mood sometimes... 
Some mental leisure every now and then is comforting.


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## grizzlyy (Jul 20, 2011)

I daydream all the time. Always lived in a fantasy world. 

I dont think there is a difference between the amount I daydream as a child than I do now.. if anything now I know what I was doing before was daydreaming, lol.


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## affezwilling (Feb 1, 2011)

I use to day dream all the time when I was a kid. It's not an introvert thing because I've never really been an introvert, although my daydreaming may have made me seem a bit introverted in my teens since it created a kind of social anxiety. I still have a wickedly vivid overactive imagination, but I have more confidence and focus now. I've think I've graduated from daydreaming to what those pesky adults (aka people my age) would probably call more brainstorming.


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## Ngg (Jul 22, 2010)

affezwilling said:


> I use to day dream all the time when I was a kid. It's not an introvert thing because I've never really been an introvert, although my daydreaming may have made me seem a bit introverted in my teens since it created a kind of social anxiety. I still have a wickedly vivid overactive imagination, but I have more confidence and focus now. I've think I've graduated from daydreaming to what those pesky adults (aka people my age) would probably call more brainstorming.


Right on. I use to daydream 24/7 as a child, now this process is more focused and idea oriented since I've developped my thought process and knowledge base.


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## cantstopthinking (Aug 13, 2011)

I kill time by day dreaming, whether with eyes open or eyes closed its the same. When I was young, it was always looking out the window, lost in motion and emotion. It wanders, constantly exploring possibilities, asking What If's...

During long bus rides, I'd just shut my eyes and let my mind wander. It sorts of recharges my mind after a long day... thus it is never polite to go on rambling or talking loudly and indiscriminately in a public transport...

I have a question though, is your day dreaming conceptualised in IMAGES or VOICES inside your head ?? Which is more accurate ?? To me its voices, not my voice, but a silent voice, with no tones...


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## MiGoreng (May 10, 2011)

Zeez Theory said:


> I daydreamed a lot when I was younger but it was always about non-sense. I was always a quick learner in school so I never payed too much attention in my class. I cant even begin count how many times I've been called on by the teacher to answer a question when, suddenly!, reality kicks in a I hadn't a clue what the current lecture was about.
> 
> Honestly though... I still daydream a lot but it's more theoretical and extreme mathematics. I think what kick-starts my imagination is when I second-guess probability. I don't think you really stop imagining as you get older like some of you say, you may just being imagining things differently than how you used it. Pay attention next time you do.


This.

Although these days I only really 'day dream' when I'm lying awake in bed, and it's usually me calculating possible situations in order to find the most beneficial, as a child I daydreamed a lot of pointless fantasy.


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## L (Aug 12, 2011)

cantstopthinking said:


> I kill time by day dreaming, whether with eyes open or eyes closed its the same. When I was young, it was always looking out the window, lost in motion and emotion. It wanders, constantly exploring possibilities, asking What If's...
> 
> During long bus rides, I'd just shut my eyes and let my mind wander. It sorts of recharges my mind after a long day... thus it is never polite to go on rambling or talking loudly and indiscriminately in a public transport...
> 
> I have a question though, is your day dreaming conceptualised in IMAGES or VOICES inside your head ?? Which is more accurate ?? To me its voices, not my voice, but a silent voice, with no tones...


Most of the time it's like a movie inside my head coming up with different outcomes to various situations and the like.


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