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Unit Eight
　
　
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Daydreaming has always had a bad reputation,
but now scientific research has revealed that daydream-
ing may actually improve your mental health and, cre-
ativity. It can even help you achieve your desired
goals.
　
　
DAYDREAM A LITTLE
　
Eugene Raudsepp
　
"Daydreaming again, Barb? You'll never amount to anything if you
spend your time that way! Can't you find something useful to do? "
Many youngsters have heard words like those from their parents. And
until recently this hostile attitude towards daydreaming was the most com-
mon one. Daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time. Or it was considered
an unhealthy escape from real life and its duties. But now some people are
taking a fresh look at daydreaming. Some think it may be a very healthy
thing to do.

Attitudes towards daydreaming are changing in much the same way
that attitudes towards night dreaming have changed. Once it was thought
that nighttime dreams interfered with our needed rest. But then researchers
tried interrupting the dreams of sleepers. They learned that sleepers who
aren't allowed to dream lose the benefits of rest. They become tense and
anxious. They become irritable. They have trouble concentrating. Their
mental health is temporarily damaged. To f eel well again, they must be al-
lowed to dream.

Now researchers are finding that daydreaming may also be important
to mental health. Daydreaming, they tell us, is a good means of relaxation.
But its benefits go beyond this. A number of psychologists have conducted
experiments and have reached some surprising conclusions.

Dr. Joan T. Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to
intellectual growth. It also improves concentration, attention span, and the
ability to get along with others, she says. In an experiment with school
children, this same researcher found that daydreaming led the children to
pay more attention to detail. They had more happy feelings. They worked
together better. Another researcher reported that daydreaming seemed to
produce improved self-control and creative abilities.

But that's only part of the story. The most remarkable thing about
daydreaming may be its usefulness in shaping our future lives as we want
them to be. Industrialist Henry J.Kaiser believed that much of his success
was due to the positive use of daydreaming. He maintained that "you can
imagine your future. " Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming a nurse.
The young Thomas Edison pictured himself as an inventor. For these no-
table achievers, it appears that their daydreams came true.

Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick believed that the way we picture ourselves
is often the way we turn out. He offered this advice: " Hold a picture of
yourself... in your mind's eye, and you will be drawn toward it. Picture
yourself vividly as defeated, and that alone will make victory impossible.
Picture yourself as winning, and that will contribute immeasurably to suc-
cess. Do not picture yourself as anything, and you will drift..."

The experiences of some athletes seem to confirm this belief. For in-
stance, John Uelses, a former pole-vaulting champion, used daydreaming
techniques before each meet. He would imagine himself winning. He would
vividly picture himself clearing the bar at a certain height. He would go
over all the details in his mind. He would picture the stadium and the
crowds. He'd even imagine the smell of the grass and the earth. He said
that this exercise of the imagination left memory traces in his mind that
would later help his actual performance.

Why would a mental vision of success help produce real success? Dr.
Maxwell Maltz, a surgeon and author, says this: " Your nervous system
cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and a real experi-
ence. In either case it reacts automatically to information that you give
it... It reacts appropriately to what you think or imagine to be true."

He believes that purposeful daydreaming builds new "memories" in the
brain. These positive memories improve a person's self-image. And self-
image has an important effect on a person's actions and accomplishments.

Can you use purposeful daydreaming to shape your own future? Why
not try? Here is how those who believe in creative daydreaming recommend
going about it. Choose a time when you can be alone and undisturbed.
Close your eyes, to permit your imagination to soar more freely. Many peo-
ple find that they get best results by pretending that they are sitting
before a large screen. They project the desired image of themselves onto
that screen.

Now picture yourself-as vividly as possible-the way you want to be.
Remember to picture your desired goals as if you had already attained
them.Go over all the details of this picture See them clearly and sharply. Im-
press them strongly on your memory. The resulting, memory traces will
supposedly start affecting your everyday life. They will help lead you to
the attainment of your goals.

Of course daydreaming is no substitute for hard work. If it's athletic
achievement you want, you also have to get lots of practice in your sport.
You have to work hard to develop skills. If it's school success you're after,
you can't neglect studying. Daydreaming alone can't turn you into your
heart's desire. But in combination with the more usual methods of self-
development, it might make a critical difference. It could be the difference
between becoming merely good at something and becoming a champion.

If what researchers are saying is true, a life lived without fantasies and
daydreams isn't as rich and rewarding as life can be. So they suggest
setting aside a few minutes each day for daydreaming. By so doing, you
may improve your physical and mental well-being. By taking a ten- or
fifteen- minute "vacation" into the realm of imagination each day, you
may add much to the excitement and enjoyment of your life. And
who knows: You might see your own daydreams come true.




Click the button to listen to the pronunciations of new words

　

　

New Words

　

hostile a.
unfriendly; belonging to an enemy 敌对的

view vt.
consider, regard

escape n. & v.
逃跑;逃避

nighttime a.
occurring at night

interfere vi.
get in the way of another 干涉;妨碍

interference n.
　

researcher n.
a person who does research

benefit n.
advantage, profit, good effect 益处

tense a.
feeling or showing nervous anxiety 紧张的

irritable a.
easily annoyed or made angry

means n.
method or way

psychologist n.
person who has studied or is skilled in psychology 心理学家

contribute vi.
help in bringing about 贡献

growth n.
growing; development

concentration n.
concentrating or being concentrated

span n.
length of time during which sth. continues or works well 一段时间

self-control n.
control of one's. own feelings, behavior, etc.

creative a.
having the power to create; inventive

remarkable a.
deserving attention; unusual, out of the ordinary 显著的;非凡的

shape vt.
influence and. determine the course or form of 形成,塑造

industrialist n.
one owning an industry or engaged in its management

maintain vt.
state or assert as true; keep up 断言;维持

picture vt.
imagine; make a picture of

inventor n.
a person who makes up or produces sth. new

notable a.
outstanding; worthy of notice 著名的;值得 注意的

achiever n.
one who achieves; winner

vividly ad.
in a lively manner 生动地,逼真地

vivida.
　

immeasurably ad.
to an extent or degree too great to be measured; beyond measure

drift vi.
float or be driven along by wind, waves or cur-rents 漂(流)

athlete n.
person who is trained and skilled in physical exercises and who competes in games that need strength and speed 运动员

pole-vaulting n.
jumping with the help of a long pole held in the hands 撑竿跳

champion n.
person or team taking the first place in a competition 冠军

meet n.
(AmE) gathering esp. for competitive sports

clear vt.
get past or over without touching

bar n.
横竿;杆;条状物

stadium n.
露天体育场

trace n.
mark showing that sb. or sth. has existed or happened 痕迹

memory trace
chemical change occurring in the brain when new information is absorbed and remembered 记忆痕(脑部吸收或记忆信息时所 产生的化学变化)

vision n.
sth. seen in the mind's eye; the power of imagination 想象(力)

automatically ad.
自动地;无意识地

automatic a.
　

appropriately ad.
properly, suitably

appropriate a.
　

purposeful a.
having a conscious purpose

self-image n.
view of oneself 自我形象

accomplishment n.
sth. completely and successfully done 成就

recommend vt.
advise or suggest; speak favorably of 建议; 推荐

soar vi.
fly or go up high in the air; rise 翱翔; 升腾

screen n.
white surface on which cinema films, TV pro- grams, etc. are shown 银幕;屏幕

project vt.
cause a picture from a film or slide to fall on a surface, etc. 映,投射

goal n.
one's aim or purpose 目标

attain vt.
succeed in arriving at, esp. after effort, reach 获得;达到

supposedly ad.
presumably; probably

affect vt.
have an effect on 影响

attainment n.
the act of attaining; (usu. pl) sth. successfully reached or learnt, esp. a skill

substitute n.
a person or thing acting in place of another 代替者;借用品

athletic a.
having to do with active games and sportsmen of or concerning athletes

achievement n.
sth. successfully finished or gained成就

after prep.
in pursuit of ; in search of

neglect vt.
pay no attention to; give no or not enough care to 忽视

combination n.
joining or putting together结合

method n.
way of doing sth.

merely ad.
only; simply

well-being n.
health and happiness; welfare 康乐;安康

vacation n.
time of rest and freedom from work or school; holiday

realm n.
area; kingdom 领域;王国

enjoyment n.
the act or fact of enjoying; pleasure; satisfaction


　

　

Phrases & Expressions

　

amount to
develop into; be equal to

interfere with
hinder, affect; interrupt 干扰;妨碍

contribute to
help to achieve; give help towards有助于

get along with
have a friendly relationship with

due to
because of; caused by

come true
happen just as was wished, expected, or

go about
dreamt make a start at; undertake着手做


　

　

Proper Names

　

Barb
巴勃(女子名,Barbara的昵称)

Joan T. Freyberg
琼.T.弗赖伯格

Kaiser
凯泽(姓氏)

Florence Nightingale
佛洛伦斯.南丁格尔

Fosdick
福斯迪克(姓氏)

Uelses
尤尔塞斯(姓氏)

Maxwell Maltz
马克斯韦尔.莫尔茨


　

　

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