Haveyoueverbeeninameetingwhilesomeonewasmakingaspeechandrealizedsuddenlythatyourmindwasamillionmilesaway?Youprobablyfeltsorryandmadeupyourmindtopayattentionandneverhavedaydreamingagain.Mostofusfromearlierschooldayshavebeentoldthatdaydreamingisawasteoftime.

“Onthecontrary,”saysL.Giambra,anexpertinpsychology（心理学）,“daydreamingisquitenecessary.Withoutit,themindcouldn’tgetdoneallthethinkingithastododuringanormalday….

Youcan’tpossiblydoallyourthinkingwithaconscious（有意识的）mind.Instead,yourunconsciousmindisworkingoutproblemsallthetime.Daydreamingthenmaybeonewaythattheunconsciousstatesofmindshavesilentdialogues.”

Earlyexpertsinpsychologypaidnoattentiontotheimportanceofdaydreamsorevenconsideredthemharmful.Atonetimedaydreamingwasthoughttobeacauseofsomementalillness.Theydidnothaveabetterunderstandingofdaydreamsuntilthelate1980s.EricKlinger,aprofessorofpsychology,isthewriterofthebookDaydreaming.Klingersays,“weknownowthatdaydreamingisoneofthemainwaysthatweorganizeourlives,learnfromourexperiences,andplanforourfutures…Daydreamsreallyareawindowonthethingswefearandthethingswelongforinlife.”

Daydreamsareusuallyverysimpleanddirect,quiteunlikesleepdreamswhichmaybehardtounderstand.It’seasiertogainadeepunderstandingofyourlifebypayingcloseattentiontoyourdaydreamsthanbytryingtoexamineyoursleepdreamscarefully.Daydreamshelpyourecognizethedifficultsituationsinyourlifeandfindoutapossiblewayofhandlingthem.

Daydreamscannotbepredicted;theymoveoffinunexpecteddirectionswhichmaybecreativeandfullofusefulideas.Formanyfamousartistsandscientists,daydreamswereandareamainsourceofcreativeenergy.

Sothenexttimeyoucatchyourselfdaydreaming,don’tstop.Justpayattentiontoyourdream.Itmaybemoreimportantthanyouthink.

小题1:Inwhatwayaredaydreamsdifferentfromsleepdreams?