我們的大腦是在其最具創新性的當他們休息的時候，那么為什么不把安靜思考的時間？

上個月，美國國土安全部和英國運輸部發布新的禁令。從北非和中東地區，可以不再進行電子大于航班上的一款智能手機的某些地區飛行的乘客。

約旦皇家航空公司厚臉皮回應提供旅客"12 要做的事情上 12 個小時的飛行，沒有平板電腦或筆記本電腦。11 號是"分析生命的意義"。

這些日子，閑暇時刻都充滿著使用我們的智能手機和其他設備

還有什么關于這個建議本身就有趣。它是有趣的因為長途飛行，而不是通過一個屏幕正在受理的安靜思考的思想是，在今天的世界，荒謬。

人類有千百年來，在做白日夢，然而，這些日子，閑暇時刻都充滿著使用我們的智能手機和其他設備 — — 滾動通過社交媒體，聽聽播客，響應電子郵件 — — 離開我們小的時候，讓我們的思維。這可能看起來小小的改變，但是對我們大腦的工作方式和我們集體的創造力，其影響可能是深遠的。事實上，它可以阻礙你的能力來與新鮮、 創新的想法。

燈泡的時刻

在 2012 年，研究人員發現，讓你的頭腦漂移可以導致更好地發揮創意解決問題。做白日夢與創造力之間的傳聞聯系比比皆是。從愛因斯坦諾貝爾獎得主、 化學家的發明者的后它注意到，很多世界上偉大的思想家有擁護使你的頭腦休息的好處。也許你也注意到，你最好的點子在洗澡的時候或一會兒出去散步。

做白日夢是精神的如何我們訪問我們的大圖片狀態

當你的頭腦能夠漫步時，它能訪問記憶、 情緒和存儲知識的隨機位說艾米薯條，上班的白日夢作者︰ 喚醒了你的創造力和作家和編輯為今日心理學。

炸薯條說:"做白日夢的是我們如何訪問我們大圖片的精神狀態，"。"當你在做白日夢的心境時，你可以想象或模擬您自己的版本的事件。

這個可視化可以幫助我們獲得一個新的視角，對一個問題或鏈接兩個以前脫節的想法來與原來的想法。

根據尼爾森的數據，美國人花費 10.5 小時一天的媒體消費。英國居民是緊隨其后在將近 10 個小時一天，根據 emarketer 公司。(信用︰ 蓋蒂圖片社)

"我最有創意的時刻來當我的大腦得以休息，"梅金，建筑與工程公司 exp 環球公司的設計師說︰作為一個設計師，國王預計拿出新的、 令人信服的想法所有的時間。國王說，"有時我會花一整天都在一個項目上工作，我會覺得我從來沒有完全創建很高興用的東西"。"我會得到一個好的睡眠和 [第二天]，在更具創新性的 15 分鐘做一件事情。

但是"我沉迷于我的智能手機，"她說。

她并不孤單。根據尼爾森，美國人花費 10.5 小時一天的媒體消費。英國居民是緊隨其后在將近 10 個小時一天，根據emarketer 公司。此擴展的屏幕時間已使我們有些人不舒服的獨自坐著我們自己的思想。科學家進行一項研究他們給人們選擇獨自坐著沒有分心，為期 6-15 分鐘，或者持久溫和的電擊。許多人選擇了休克。

不同的國家

當你的眼睛在你的手機上，你的頭腦是在非常不同的狀態時，它做白日夢。

多年的研究，研究者們發現我們的大腦有兩個單獨的注意系統說，弗吉尼亞大學的心理學教授丹尼爾 · 威林厄姆 — — 一種外部和內部的一個。內源性注意系統，激活期間做白日夢，稱為默認網絡。

當你的眼睛在你的手機上，你的頭腦是在非常不同的狀態時，它做白日夢。(信用︰ 蓋蒂圖片社)

"默認網絡是特別積極的當你思考你自己，思考過去，思考未來，"威林厄姆說。"你真的不能兩個 [注意系統] 活躍在同一時間，但是他們在某些方面聯系在一起"。

如果這兩個系統在同一時間不能主動和我們在一個注意系統花了一天 10 小時，它引出了一個問題︰ 什么是對我們的大腦做 — — 和我們的能力來與創造性的想法？

"這不是我們正在進行對自己小的干預行動。在許多情況下這是大量的時間，"威林厄姆說，"特別是對于"十幾歲的孩子。

從心理角度來看，我們更擔心這會對我們做什么，當然很多年

"從心理學的角度來看，我們更關心這會對我們做什么，當然許多年來，"他說。后果，在目前情況下，完全不得而知，但所有盯著看，一個關注系統中的這個時間這款手機很可能具有長期的影響。

數字的排毒

好消息是，一些人已經自我調節他們過度使用。王最近去 Facebook 后意識到她花太多時間在網站上在她中間的時刻。

"我一直在開發自我意識最近關于我過度使用，"她說。"我一直在試圖遏制它，但很難"。

有些人已經開始自我調節時，其互聯網和屏幕的用法，調度的時間技術排毒法 (信用︰ Alamy)

威林厄姆，曾經聽播客或磁帶上的書而他走的鍛煉，已經開始把他的設備留在家里。他是沉默的快樂。和炸薯條有意識地限制了她電話和電視的時間，如果她能甚至會走得更遠。

"其實我得去網格為一年左右的幻想，"她說。

除此之外，薯條建議開始與自我意識。注意到當你看看你的手機和它如何使你的感覺。如果你把錢出的創造力，去散步或做其它一些不需要集中的注意力的活動。最重要的是，給自己的時間和權限做白日夢，這尤其是在我們的文化中忙碌，說易行難。

接受你自己的白日夢狀態幾乎是思想的革命性的

炸薯條說:"我認為它是個人可以擁有的東西，"。"接受你自己的白日夢狀態幾乎是思想的革命性的"。

公司也將受益于給予其雇員的空間，讓他們的頭腦徘徊，她說，讓他們想出更好、 更創新的理念。

"在任何地區任何領導人，我可以向你保證他們是一個大的空想家，"炸薯條說。

除了去 Facebook，國王已經停止了她的電話或會議在可能的情況下，計算機和它幫助她更好的訪問和更多的獨特想法，她說。再加上，她給自己行使，睡好，中午休息的時間 — — 像標題到附近的公園里的只是一些紙和一支鉛筆。

國王說:"這是我最終的理想去一些創造力，"。"我覺得時間只是停止當你坐在那里。

Last month, both the US Department of Homeland Security and the UK Department of Transport issued a new ban. Passengers flying from certain areas of North Africa and the Middle East can no longer carry electronics larger than a smartphone on flights.

Royal Jordanian airlines cheekily responded by offering travellers “12 things to do on a 12-hour flight with no tablet or laptop.” Number 11 was “analyse the meaning of life.”

These days, spare moments are filled with using our smartphones and other devices

There’s nothing inherently funny about this suggestion. It’s amusing because the thought of quiet contemplation on a long flight rather than being entertained via a screen is, in today’s world, ridiculous.

Humans have daydreamed for thousands of years, and yet, these days, spare moments are filled with using our smartphones and other devices—scrolling through social media, listening to podcasts, responding to emails—leaving us little time to let our minds wander. This may seem a small change, but its effect, on the way our minds work and on our collective creativity, could be far-reaching. In fact, it could be hindering your ability to come up with fresh, innovative ideas.

Lightbulb moments

In 2012, researchers found that letting your mind wander can lead to better creative problem solving. And anecdotal links between daydreaming and creativity abound. From Einstein to Nobel Prize-winning chemists to the inventor of the Post-it note, many of the world’s great thinkers have espoused the benefits of giving your mind a rest. And perhaps you too have noticed that your best ideas come in the shower or while out for a walk.

Daydreaming is how we access our big-picture state of mind

When your mind is able to wander, it is accessing memories, emotions and random bits of stored knowledge, says Amy Fries, author of Daydreams at Work: Wake Up Your Creative Powers and a writer and editor for Psychology Today.

“Daydreaming is how we access our big-picture state of mind,” Fries says. “When you’re in a daydreaming state of mind, you can visualise or simulate your own version of events."

This visualisation can help us gain a new perspective on a problem or link two previously disjointed thoughts to come up with an original idea.

According to Nielsen, Americans spend 10.5 hours a day consuming media. And UK residents are close behind at almost 10 hours a day, according to eMarketer. (Credit: Getty Images)

“My most creative moments come when my brain is allowed to rest,” says Megan King, a graphic designer for the architecture and engineering firm exp Global Inc. As a designer, King is expected to come up with new, compelling ideas all the time. “Sometimes I’ll spend all day working on a project and I’ll feel that I never quite created something that I’m really happy with,” King says. “I’ll get a good night’s sleep and [the next day], get something done in 15 minutes that is more innovative.”

But “I’m addicted to my smartphone,” she says.

She’s not alone. According to Nielsen, Americans spend 10.5 hours a day consuming media. And UK residents are close behind at almost 10 hours a day, according to eMarketer. This extended screen time has made some of us uncomfortable sitting alone with our own thoughts. Scientists conducted a study in which they gave people the option of either sitting alone with no distractions for a period of 6–15 minutes or enduring a mild electric shock. Many people chose the shock.

Different states

When your eyes are on your phone, your mind is in a very different state than when it’s daydreaming.

Over years of studies, researchers found that our brain has two separate attention systems, says Daniel Willingham, Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia — an external one and an internal one. The internal attention system, which is activated during daydreaming, is called the default network.

When your eyes are on your phone, your mind is in a very different state than when it’s daydreaming. (Credit: Getty Images)

“The default network is particularly active when you are thinking about yourself, thinking about the past, thinking about the future,” Willingham says. “You can’t really have both [attention systems] active at the same time, but they’re in some ways linked.”

If both systems can’t be active at the same time and we’re spending 10 hours a day in one attention system, it begs the question: what is that doing to our brains — and our ability to come up with creative ideas?

“This is not a small intervention that we are conducting on ourselves. In many cases this is an enormous amount of time,” Willingham says, “especially for teenage kids.”

From a psychological point of view, we’re more concerned about what this will do to us over the course of many years

“From a psychological point of view, we’re more concerned about what this will do to us over the course of many years,” he says. The consequences, as of now, are not fully known, but all this phone staring, all this time spent in one attention system, may very well have a long-term effect.

Digital detox

The good news is that some people are already self-regulating their overuse. King recently went off Facebook after realising she was spending too much time on the site in her in-between moments.

“I’ve been developing a self-awareness recently about my overuse,” she says. “I’ve been trying to curb it, but it’s hard.”

Some people are already starting to self-regulate when it comes to their internet and screen usage, scheduling in time for technology detoxes (Credit: Alamy)

Willingham, who used to listen to podcasts or books on tape while he walked for exercise, has started leaving his devices at home. He’s much happier with the silence. And Fries consciously limits her phone and television time, and if she could, would go even further.

“I actually have fantasies about going off the grid for about a year,” she says.

Barring that, Fries recommends starting with self-awareness. Notice when you’re looking at your phone and how it makes you feel. If you’re tapped out for creativity, go for a walk or do some other activity that doesn’t require focused attention. Most importantly, give yourself the time and permission to daydream, which, especially in our culture of busyness, is easier said than done.

Accepting your own daydreaming state of mind is almost revolutionary

“I think it’s something individuals can own,” Fries says. “Accepting your own daydreaming state of mind is almost revolutionary.”

Companies would also benefit from giving their employees the space to let their minds wander, she says, allowing them to come up with better, more innovative ideas.

“Any leader in any area, I can guarantee you they’re a big daydreamer,” Fries says.

In addition to going off Facebook, King has stopped taking her phone or computer to meetings when possible, and it’s helped her access better and more unique ideas, she says. Plus, she gives herself the time to exercise, get good sleep and take midday breaks—like heading to a nearby park with just some paper and a pencil.

“That is my ultimate ideal to get some creative juices flowing,” King says. “I feel like time just stops when you’re sitting there.”