Jonah Lehrer on the Surprising Benefits of Daydreaming

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Author and WIRED contributing editor Jonah Lehrer discusses the surprising benefits of daydreaming, and questions whether ubiquitous access to the Internet negatively affects the ability to let one's mind wander. "Now, every time I get even a little bit bored ... I check my email for the millionth time that day," says Lehrer. "I lose myself in my 3-inch screen, instead of exploring the usual process of daydreaming."

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This excerpt is taken from a program titled, "Your Brain on the Internet: Digital Intelligence," featuring Nicholson Baker, Jaron Lanier, Jonah Lehrer, Elizabeth Phelps, and Daniel Zalewski.

Jonah Lehrer is an author and journalist who writes often about neuroscience and psychology. He has published two books, "Proust Was a Neuroscientist," about the connections between science and the humanities, and "How We Decide," about the brain and decision-making. He has written for The New Yorker about the science of insight and about the psychology of delayed gratification.

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  Science & Technology

[itsasin1969]

Try smoking some pot , that will help you daydream just fine,, no,,really,

[LeLimeLine]

I checked my email six times during this video.

[itsasin1969]

that's nice ,, it's a free country(kinda) , just don't be all judgmental about it.

[salies1807]

that's why I don't need drugs...

[oOShutts97]

I daydream at school too much

[cheatdath]

GENIUS

[isotoperesearch11]

....mouth and lips are shaped like they like penis.

[TheAbuayyash]

im a fucking genius!

[IBelieveInSeth]

Daydreaming is NOT always a good thing. Excessive daydreaming can be very damaging to your life. Look up Maladaptive Daydreaming to learn more.

[The3nlightened0ne]

Now put that creativity to use!

[skeptical902]

I bet your daydreams are rhetorical.