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TED-Ed

The benefits of daydreaming - Elizabeth Cox

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TEDEd Animation

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On a daily basis, you spend between a third and half of your waking hours daydreaming. That may sound like a huge waste of time, but scientists think it must have some purpose, or humans wouldn’t have evolved to do so much of it. So, what exactly happens in the brain while you daydream? Elizabeth Cox takes a closer look at the science of daydreaming through the mind of a teenager.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

More About the Brain

Want to know more about how the brain works? Check out this informative video by National Geographic. For a more in-depth look at the structures and functions of the brain, head on over to this video by Bozeman Science.

Check out this TED-Ed playlist and dive into the mysterious inner-workings of our brains; find out what happens when our hippocampus is removed, how much of what we see is hallucinated, how marijuana affects the brain, and more.

The Benefits of Daydreaming and Letting Your Mind Wander

Even though it is often discouraged in traditional classrooms and work environments, many argue that there are upsides to daydreaming, such as reaching your goals, improved creativity, and improved performance on tasks.

Read more here about the benefits of daydreaming and what the science says about it. A research paper published in APS analyzes the benefits of letting your mind wander and other task-unrelated thinking. Another study indicates that daydreamers are better at remembering information in the face of distractions.

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Meet The Creators

Educator
Elizabeth Cox
Director
Biljana Labović
Narrator
Alexandra Panzer, Hani Furstenberg
Storyboard Artist
Wing Luo
Animation Supervisor
Amarello Rodrigues
Lead Animator
Hanna Rybak, Murilo Jardim
Animator
Volodymyr Shtun, Ihor Karas, Vlad Zhelikhovskyi
Art Director
Nuri Keli, Hanna Rybak
Sound Designer
Weston Fonger
Composer
Weston Fonger
Director of Production
Gerta Xhelo
Producer
Alexandra Zubak
Associate Producer
Abdallah Ewis
Editorial Director
Alex Rosenthal
Editorial Producer
Elizabeth Cox
Science Consultant
Caitlin Mills

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