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The Why Factor - Daydreaming

Does everyone鈥檚 mind wander at some point during the day? And what happens to us, and our lives, when we daydream?

Freud thought daydreaming was not a useful activity, and many teachers across the world have been heard to say 鈥渟top daydreaming鈥 to their pupils. But it seems to have redeeming purposes.

Opera singer Noah Stewart explains how he uses daydreaming as a way to prepare himself for the stage. And Peter Moore, an IT contractor who was held hostage in Iraq, describes how his mind began to fill the emptiness of his days with dreams of escape and comfort.

While daydreaming may be universal across cultures, there seem to be many differences in in how we do it - from playful vivid fantasies, to problem solving, to obsessing. And is daydreaming a taboo subject? We explore why it鈥檚 not discussed.

(Photo: A young girl lays on the grass daydreaming. Credit: George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images)

10 minutes

Broadcast

  • Wed 22 Apr 2015 16:20GMT