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.” 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 numerous books including Proust Was a Neuroscientist, about the connections between science and the humanities, and IMAGINE: How Creatitivity Works. He has written for The New Yorker about the science of insight and about the psychology of delayed gratification. To learn more about Jonah be sure to read this April 2012 FEELguide piece entitled “Watch Charlie Rose Interview Brilliant (And HOT!) Author Jonah Lehrer About Creativity & The Brain” and visit his website at JonahLehrer.com. To watch the complete New Yorker video CLICK HERE.
Jonah Lehrer On The Surprising Benefits Of Daydreaming And Your Brain’s Powerful “Default Network”
Brent Lambert
Writer, editor, and founder of FEELguide. I have written over 5,000 articles covering many topics including: travel, design, movies, music, politics, psychology, neuroscience, business, religion and spirituality, philosophy, pop culture, the universe, and so much more. I also work as an illustrator and set designer in the movie industry, and you can see all of my drawings at http://www.unifiedfeel.com.