From Golden Age to Overload: The MD Research Landscape
by Valeria Franco
We’re all tired—tired of answering questions about maladaptive daydreaming. Research on maladaptive daydreaming is in a phase of exhaustion, and, at the same time, of flourishing. How is that possible?
In this article, we explore why we are no longer in the golden age of knowledge about maladaptive daydreaming, and we discuss how people don’t want to feel like lab rats. This is an act of honesty.
We’re putting the problems on the table, without censorship, to understand whether a solution exists.
The Golden Age of Maladaptive Daydreaming
Dr. Nirit Soffer-Dudek recently said, “Five years ago, we were—let’s say—in the golden age of research on maladaptive daydreaming. Compared to previous years, there were many more people who were aware of and engaged with the topic, but studies were still relatively few, which generated a lot of enthusiasm and participation.
Today, as researchers, we struggle to collect data for our studies on this subject. The feeling is that when we present people with a new questionnaire, they think, Oh, here’s another study, and see it as just yet another one on the same topic—like just another study on depression.”
How boring.
Nirit Soffer-Dudek, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. As the scientific director of the International Consortium for Maladaptive Daydreaming Research (ICMDR), she has played a central role in shaping and advancing global research on maladaptive daydreaming.
We’re Not Rockstars Anymore
We’ve heard similar feedback from Jayne Bigelsen, who often says, “We used to be rockstars; now we’re not.”
Although Jayne is not currently a researcher, she is a key figure in the world of maladaptive daydreaming—a pioneer and co-participant in one of the very first studies alongside Prof. Eli Somer. She has therefore witnessed firsthand the huge shift in public interest in maladaptive daydreaming: from enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge to a much cooler reception toward MD-related initiatives, both in terms of engagement with communication efforts and participation in training activities.
Jayne Bigelsen is an advocate who has spent over twenty-five years working in social justice and public policy in New York and now works on behalf of young people experiencing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking. She is in the ISMD board and she runs the Training and Education Department.
“I’m Not Here to Be Analyzed”
There’s another issue that has emerged in the field of maladaptive daydreaming research. In some online communities, a few participants have strongly protested when researchers asked them to fill out questionnaires. Their point was this: People in the community are there to seek support, not to be studied.
This highlights how, when people are repeatedly asked to complete surveys, they can start to feel like lab rats—even though that’s the last thing researchers intend. Far from being detached scientists, researchers are often deeply empathetic and genuinely invested in understanding and helping maladaptive daydreamers. Unfortunately, the most effective way to do that is still through questionnaires.
Many Students, Many Studies, Much Confusion
Research papers on maladaptive daydreaming are multiplying every year, yet the overall feeling is not one of greater clarity, but greater confusion.
Perhaps this is partly due to the large number of studies being proposed by students who have just landed in “maladaptive daydreaming-land.” Unaware of the community’s dynamics—and of the fact that they’re far from being the first to show up with a questionnaire—they enter online spaces, send emails, and post messages asking for their study to be promoted, published, and shared.
On one hand, it’s wonderful to see more attention and awareness from universities regarding maladaptive daydreaming. On the other hand, resources are becoming divided, which may hinder the more significant studies that need large sample sizes to yield meaningful statistical results.
Here in Italy, where I’m writing from, two different students promoted the same questionnaire—identical in every question—but created separately in two different Google Forms. Even though they came from the same university, neither was aware of the other’s work. Naturally, it’s unrealistic to expect participants to fill out both questionnaires.
As ISMD volunteers, we also face complexity and limited resources. When a student asked one of our board members to promote her study on Reddit, the message was passed to me, and I then reached out to the Reddit moderators. Those moderators only allow posts to stay pinned for one week—a limitation of the platform itself. After the post was removed, the student complained, and the same chain of communication started all over again. Our time is limited, and we simply cannot take charge of promoting every study—even though we are the first to work toward raising awareness about MD and supporting research in the field.
We’re Stuck in the Middle: How Do We Move Forward?
So, we’re stuck halfway across the river. On one side, we still know far too little about MD. On the other, every attempt to understand it better depends on research, which is currently in a phase of exhaustion and overload.
How can we solve this? It’s not an easy question.
At ISMD, we’re trying to find a way forward. We’re developing a new division within our organization entirely dedicated to research. The hope is that, over time, we can bring more structure and clarity to this field—including an internal review process for ongoing studies to help guide maladaptive daydreamers’ attention toward the most significant research efforts.
But we still have a long road ahead.
Yes, We’re Saying It Again: “Your Help Matters.” Sorry.
If you think you can lend a hand, you can join our Research Team as a volunteer. Or, if you have ideas, you can share them with us in the comments below this article or on our social media posts (That way, you’ll also help us generate those much-needed interactions—far more helpful than individual emails we likely won’t be able to manage!).
We’ve said it a thousand times: Your individual support—your support, as a reader—is crucial. But we’re also fully aware of the system’s limitations and of how limited any single person’s contribution can be.
Still, there’s one thing we can’t stress enough: research simply cannot exist without the people who take the time to respond to questionnaires and share their experiences. Every answer, every completed form, adds a piece to the bigger picture. Without those voices, the data remain empty, and the progress we all hope for becomes impossible.
The purpose of this article was to clearly lay out the challenges on both sides, without sugarcoating or hiding behind excuses. By bringing the issues into the open, we can try to understand together what the solutions might be.
Because, in the end, we all want the same thing: the well-being of people living with maladaptive daydreaming.
I don’t know if it’s already being attempted, but I believe the focus should be on raising awareness of Maladaptive Daydreaming among the general population. Posting announcements in health centers, all kinds of associations, schools, and universities. Getting off the internet—and especially out of forums and websites about excessive daydreaming—to reach as many people as possible. Otherwise, there’s a risk of going around in circles. Maybe doing more grassroots work. A division could be created to spread awareness in their local environments.
On the other hand, and I suppose this might be difficult, a fantastic way to give visibility to Maladaptive Daydreaming and the ISMD would be to try to interview public figures who have stated that they’ve used their overflowing imagination to overcome difficulties and move forward, and who could become “ambassadors” of the ISMD. I’m thinking of Steven Spielberg, J.K. Rowling, Tim Burton, Guillermo del Toro, or Lady Gaga. That would give it a big boost. Although I’m aware it might sound a bit crazy, too ambitious, and “unrealistic.” So perhaps it could be attempted with more accessible public personalities.
Ultimately, the idea is to reach beyond Reddit and into other spaces to connect with the general public.