West, M. J., & Somer, E. (2020). Empathy, emotion regulation, and creativity in immersive and maladaptive daydreaming. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 39(4), 358–373. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/0276236619864277

Abstract

Daydreaming is important for creativity and the understanding of our minds and those of others. However, some adults daydream to such an extreme degree that the behavior becomes disruptive; a condition known as maladaptive daydreaming (MD). We propose that highly immersive daydreaming is not always maladaptive, and immersive characteristics of daydreaming may benefit emotional regulation, empathy, and creativity.

This study consisted of 542 participants from 56 countries recruited online from MD and other communities. Our results revealed that the maladaptive components of MD predicted higher affective empathy, poorer emotional regulation abilities, and reduced creative output. The immersive components of daydreaming predicted higher empathy for fantasy characters and poorer emotional regulation.

These results suggest that the immersive and maladaptive components of MD have distinct behavioral correlates, but that any form of immersive daydreaming is not an effective emotional regulation strategy. Implications for the planning of effective treatment for MD are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords: Absorption; Compulsive fantasy; Fantasy prone person; Kinesthetic activity; Maladaptive daydreaming; Stereotypic movement; Visual cognition.

Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Further Information

Unfortunately, the full version of this paper isn’t available for free. You might find more details online if you’re interested.

If you’d like to learn more, the author has kindly given permission for his contact details to be shared. 

Eli Somer: eli.somer@me.com