By: Jasmine Wang
Sometimes our minds wander into drifting thoughts, daydreaming Is something we all do, whether we realize it or not. Many people believe that daydreaming is unhealthy, or a waste of time, but that is not entirely true. [You still need to mention the article and its author here!]
Daydreaming can be harmful at times. For example, if you let your mind wander when you should be concentrating on important tasks, such as writing this essay or driving, daydreaming may decrease productivity, and even put you in danger. [again, are there concrete examples that the article uses you could include here? Remember, you’re first summarizing the article’s argument so be explicit about it! Use quotations and paraphrases :)] It also may be unpleasant to think about times you screwed up in the past. It’s better to daydream while doing simple tasks that require little mental work, like cleaning, showering, taking a walk, or brushing your teeth. This way, you will not waste too much time and the consequences will not be as severe. But daydreaming isn’t all bad.
Research shows that daydreaming can actually make us happier, increase creativity, and even increase productivity.
According to a study about thinking published in July, people tend to avoid spending time alone with their thoughts because “we tend to underestimate the value of thinking.” In the study, a group of scientists asked adults to predict how much they’d enjoy sitting alone in a quiet room. Then, scientists had the participants sit in a room for 20 minutes. The participants actually ended up enjoying the experience more than they had expected.
So in conclusion, daydreaming is something that everyone does and should do, but if done at the wrong time, it could be very harmful. If you think daydreaming is bad, you are only half wrong.