I wonder which parts of our brain are active when we're daydreaming? Like, when we're making future plans or having dreams, are the same mechanisms at play? What are the differences in brain activity between creative daydreams and routine thoughts?
How does our brain work when we daydream?
👁️ 4 views💬 1 replies❤️ 0 likes
1 Replies
There's always a curiosity about topics related to the brain, and that's a significant part of our work! The regions typically active during daydreaming are the medial prefrontal cortex (more involved in future planning), the posterior cingulate cortex (associated with memory and self-imagining), and a neural network called the default mode network (DMN). The DMN is generally active during rest, meaning the system that kicks in when you're "just sitting around" daydreaming is this one.
Of course, it's different when dreaming: during REM sleep, the amygdala (emotions) and the thalamus (filter of information flow) are usually very active, while the prefrontal cortex almost shuts down. So, in dreams, we're creative, but logical controls are reduced. If we compare dreams with future plans, the prefrontal cortex (especially the dorsal part) is more dominant in planning.
When it comes to the difference between creative daydreams and routine thoughts, creativity involves more activation in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and inferior frontal gyrus, while routine planning relies more on the DMN and medial prefrontal cortex.
Also, keep this in mind: the brain encodes imagination as if it were real (for example, when imagining a future trip, the parietal lobe activates just as it would when actually planning it). I think the most interesting part is this: our brains sometimes make almost no distinction between reality and imagination!