Daydreaming has a bad reputation – we say things like "he's away with the fairies" or "she has her head in the clouds" implying these people are inattentive, easily distracted, maybe even lazy.
白日梦名声不好——我们会说“他魂不守舍”或“她心不在焉”，暗示这些人不专注、容易分心，甚至可能懒惰。
Is this reputation justified?
这种名声合理吗？
Or is a trip to la-la land actually something that might benefit us?
或者，神游天外实际上可能对我们有益？
First, it's important to differentiate daydreaming from mind wandering.
首先，重要的是将白日梦与走神区分开来。
Mind wandering happens when you're busy with a task and your mind disengages from it, whereas daydreaming happens when you're doing nothing and spontaneous thoughts unrelated to your surroundings pop up.
走神发生在你忙于任务而思绪脱离时，而白日梦发生在你无所事事时，与周围环境无关的自发想法涌现。
In a review of research called 'The costs and benefits of mind-wandering', the authors found mind wandering negatively impacted reading comprehension, attention, memory and intelligence.
在一篇名为《走神的代价与益处》的研究综述中，作者发现走神对阅读理解、注意力、记忆力和智力有负面影响。
None of that sounds great, so are there any benefits at all?
这些听起来都不太好，那么到底有没有好处呢？
Activities that allow your mind to wander, like having a bath or meditating can lead to the 'aha' moment that you've been waiting for, which is why people often say they have their best ideas in the shower.
让思绪漫游的活动，如洗澡或冥想，可以带来你一直等待的“顿悟”时刻，这就是为什么人们常说他们最好的想法是在淋浴时出现的。
This might work in the workplace too.
这在职场中也可能奏效。
In a 2021 study called 'Zoning out or breaking through?
在2021年一项名为《走神还是突破？》的研究中，
Linking daydreaming to creativity in the workplace', the authors concluded that "daydreaming carries noteworthy benefits for creativity".
将白日梦与职场创造力联系起来》，作者得出结论：“白日梦对创造力有显著益处”。
In other words, daydreaming at work may help you to come up with solutions to your problems.
换句话说，在工作中做白日梦可能帮助你找到问题的解决方案。
It's also suggested that daydreaming can provide a sort of mental escape, both from the difficulty of the task, but also from the stresses of everyday life.
也有人提出，白日梦可以提供一种精神逃避，既逃避任务的困难，也逃避日常生活的压力。
So, it seems daydreaming might be a bit of a double-edged sword, and the extent to which it provides benefits rather than downsides depends on things like how positive the thoughts are as well as your ability to identify and control them.
所以，白日梦似乎是一把双刃剑，它带来益处而非弊端取决于想法的积极程度以及你识别和控制它们的能力。
If you find yourself endlessly staring into space, pondering the meaning of life while you're trying to get things done, why not try a mindfulness technique?
如果你发现自己一边试图完成任务，一边无休止地凝视太空、思考生命的意义，为什么不试试正念技巧呢？
Observe the thoughts as they pop up, visualise them as clouds and watch them pass by.
观察那些浮现的想法，将它们想象成云朵，看着它们飘过。
Alternatively, when you've got some time to yourself, instead of reading a book or listening to music, why not let yourself get lost in thought?
或者，当你有一些独处时间时，与其读书或听音乐，为什么不让自己陷入沉思呢？
