Daydreaming can lead to a wandering mind and decreased focus, but there’s no scientific evidence to support that it helps the brain pick up faint whispers of memory. Memory consolidation and recall are complex processes influenced by various factors, such as attention, emotion, repetition, and sleep.
In a recent investigation into the biology of daydreaming, researchers in Norway employed optogenetics and other cutting-edge methods to observe mouse brain activity during intervals of “quiet wakefulness” that mimic human daydreaming.
The Norwegian team’s findings (Chambers, Berge, & Vervaeke, 2022) on the cell-type-specific brain mechanics of mind wandering were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports.
Neuroscientists from the University of Oslo’s Vervaeke Lab discovered during this in vivo mouse study that particular cells in thalamocortical circuits that transmit sensory information from the body to the cortex via the thalamus are momentarily silenced before the hippocampus emits faint slow-wave ripples (SWR) of memory.
According to this research, the hippocampus transmits memory-related slow-wave ripples to the cortex during daydreaming, and the cortex is better able to “hear” these signals because of the brain’s brief period of silence.
Daydreaming Quiets Brain Noise and Makes It Easier for the Hippocampus to Be Heard
“You actually daydream for brief moments thousands of times in a day, often just for a few seconds at a time,” first author Anna Chambers said in an October 2022 news release. “When we are awake but disengaged perhaps daydreaming we are less aware of events that are taking place around us. Our research shows that this happens for a good reason. The brain is busy listening to memories instead.”
During quiet wakefulness, the hippocampus only sends weak messages about past memories to the rest of the brain. The cortex becomes calmer so it can better hear what the hippocampus is trying to say.
Christoffer Nerland Berge
“During sleep, and in a state called ‘quiet wakefulness,’ we are usually less aware of what is happening around us. We can daydream or let our minds wander. When we find ourselves in this state, the hippocampus sends electrical impulses that encode various memories,” senior author Koen Vervaeke explains.
Mind Wandering May Help Different Brain Regions Store Long-Term Memories
This study implies that when people are bored or not paying careful attention to a boring job, their brains are more open to picking up on distant or faint memories that might otherwise go missed. These results also provide some novel explanations for why mind wandering improves imagination and creativity.
Remote memories can arise and improve cognition during quiet awake periods when the mind wanders and the brain is peaceful. Without daydreaming, memories that are tucked away in the hippocampus may never surface and may be lost in the shuffle.
“During quiet wakefulness, the hippocampus only sends weak messages about past memories to the rest of the brain. The cortex becomes calmer so it can better hear what the hippocampus is trying to say,” co-author Christoffer Nerland Berge said.
This research reveals that allowing your mind to wander and “spacing out” offers previously unrecognized advantages, as opposed to paying great attention to every minute detail and remaining hyper-focused at all times.
“With the new findings, we think you might need to be bored and that this is good for forming memories,” Vervaeke concludes.
However, daydreaming can sometimes trigger spontaneous memories, associations, and creative insights, which can enhance overall cognitive functioning.
