The benefits of daydreaming - Elizabeth Cox

Translator: Thea Wong Reviewer: Aubrey Cheng

On a daily basis, you spend between a third and half

你每日花三分之一到一半時間

your waking hours daydreaming.

發白日夢

That may sound like a huge waste of time,

呢種行為聽起嚟好嘥時間

but scientists think it must have some purpose,

但科學家認為發白日夢一定係有某種目的

or humans wouldn’t have evolved to do so much of it.

否則人類就唔會進化到發咗咁多

So to figure out what's going on here,

因此要搞清楚發生緊啲咩事先

let’s take a closer look at the mind-wanderer in chief:

仔細睇吓呢個首席魂遊專員

the bored teenager.

一個無聊嘅青少年

Wouldn’t it be cool to discover something, anything.

如果發現到一啲嘢、乜都好， 係咪好勁先？

Like even this plant.

就算係呢棵植物

Just to be one of those explorers who sails around drawing stuff

想試吓做長年以嚟 去到邊畫到邊嘅冒險家噉

for years on end and everyone thinks they’re a genius.

大家都認為佢哋係天才

But does anyone even do that anymore?

但而家仲有冇人噉做？

Is there anything left to discover?

仲有嘢發掘咩？

And would I be tough enough to deal with the dysentery or scurvy

我夠唔夠堅強去應對痢疾、壞血病

or piranhas or whatever?

食人魚或者其他嘢？

I barely have the endurance to make it through track practice...

我幾乎冇耐力能夠通過田徑訓練

but I will.

但我會努力

Any day now, I’ll have the discipline to show up before sunrise

而家每日，我都自動自覺

and practice.

堅持喺日出前出發訓練

I’ll win all my races.

我會贏哂我所有比賽

Winning will become so easy, I’ll pick up other events just for fun.

獲勝將變得容易 我參加其他賽事只係為咗好玩

And once I'm in the Olympics,

一旦我參加咗奧運會

they’ll have no choice but to crown me team captain,

佢哋只能為我加冕

which I will graciously accept.

我都會欣然接受

And will I be nasty to the teammate who yelled at me?

會唔會仲好憎嗰個發爛渣嘅隊友？

No.

唔會

I’ll just calmly say, “hope you’re in a better mood.”

我只會平靜噉講「希望你心情好返啲」

Okay. Yours and other people's daydreams might sound or feel something like that.

嗯，你同其他人嘅白日夢大概都係噉

Let's see what was going on.

我哋睇吓發生緊啲咩事

To see what parts of the brain are active

為咗搞清楚大腦嘅邊部分係活躍

when you’re doing a task, or thinking, or daydreaming,

喺你做嘢、思考或發白日夢嗰陣

scientists use brain imaging techniques that show

科學家運用大腦影像技術

increased blood flow and energy expenditure in those areas.

去顯示呢啲區域嘅血流量增加同能量消耗

These brain areas are active,

呢啲大腦區域係活躍嘅

working together and communicating with each other.

佢哋一齊運作、互相交流

Taken together, they're called the executive network.

綜合嚟睇，佢哋被稱為執行網絡

When your mind starts to wander,

當你嘅思緒開始游離

a different set of brain areas becomes active.

一組唔同嘅大腦區域就會變得活躍

These areas make up the default mode network.

呢啲區域構成默認模式網絡

The name default mode makes it sound like nothing is going on.

默認模式呢個名聽落好似冇嘢發生

And in fact, for many years,

而事實上，咁多年嚟

scientists associated this pattern of activity with rest.

科學家將活躍區嘅模式同其他嘅聯繫起嚟

But a closer look reveals that these are the brain areas involved

仔細觀察會發現大腦嘅參與區域包括

when we revisit a memory, when we think about our plans and hopes,

回憶、思考我哋嘅計劃同盼望

and yes, when our minds are wandering off on a wild daydream.

同放空思緒去發埋啲瘋狂白日夢嗰陣

The mind can wander to unproductive or distressing places

思緒會遊蕩到無益或令人痛苦嘅地方

and brood over negative past events, like an argument.

會耿耿於懷往日嘅負面事件，例如爭執

It can also wander to neutral, everyday matters,

又會游離到普通嘅日常事務方面

like planning out the rest of one's afternoon.

好似計劃一下晏晝做啲咩好

But where mind-wandering really gets interesting

但係，思緒游離真正有趣嘅地方係

is when it crosses into the realm of free-moving associative thought

當佢進入你冇主動意識嘅

that you aren’t consciously directing.

自由移動嘅聯想思維領域嗰陣

This kind of mind-wandering is associated with increases in both ideas

呢種思維游離同增加想法

and positive emotions,

同積極情緒有關

and the evidence suggests that daydreaming can help people envision ways

證據表示白日夢幫到人 設想實現目標嘅方法

to reach their goals and navigate relationships and social situations.

駕馭到複雜嘅人際關係同社交場合

Scientists think there may be two essential parts to this process:

科學家認為個過程有兩個基礎部分

a generative phase of free-flowing ideas and spontaneous thoughts,

一個係由默認模式網絡嘅幫助下

courtesy of the default mode network,

產生自由流動嘅想法同自發嘅思想

followed by a process of selecting, developing, and pursuing

另一個係喺產生想法中選擇、發展

the best ideas from that generative burst,

同追求最佳想法嘅過程

driven by logical thinking thanks to the executive network.

係受到執行網絡嘅邏輯思維驅動

A host of imaging studies suggest that these two networks working in sync

大量影像研究表示呢兩個網絡同步工作

is a crucial condition for creative thinking.

係創造性思維嘅一個關鍵條件

Taken together, the evidence clearly suggests

綜合嚟講，呢啲證據清楚表明

the logical realm of the executive network

執行網絡嘅邏輯領域

and the imaginative realm of the default mode network

同默認模式網絡嘅想像領域

are closely related.

係密切相關

And as you can see, the executive network is still playing a role

所以執行網絡都仲發揮緊作用

when the default mode network is doing its thing during daydreaming.

喺默認模式網絡發緊白日夢嗰陣

In teenagers,

青少年嘅

the prefrontal cortex and other areas involved in executive function

前額葉皮層同其他涉及執行功能嘅區域

are still developing,

仲發育緊

but teens are perfectly capable of thinking through their problems and goals,

但青少年完全有能力思考 佢哋面對嘅問題同目標

especially when given space to do so on their own.

尤其係畀啲空間佢哋自己去處理