Poerio_et_al_2015_-_Love_is_the_triumph_of_the_imagination_-_Daydreams_about_significant_others_are_associated_with_increased_happiness,_love_and_connection.pdf (376.06 kB)
Love is the triumph of the imagination: daydreams about significant others are associated with increased happiness, love and connection
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 19:29 authored by Giulia L Poerio, Peter Totterdell, Lisa-Marie Emerson, Eleanor MilesEleanor MilesSocial relationships and interactions contribute to daily emotional well-being. The emotional benefits that come from engaging with others are known to arise from real events, but do they also come from the imagination during daydreaming activity? Using experience sampling methodology with 101 participants, we obtained 371 reports of naturally occurring daydreams with social and non-social content and self-reported feelings before and after daydreaming. Social, but not non-social, daydreams were associated with increased happiness, love and connection and this effect was not solely attributable to the emotional content of the daydreams. These effects were only present when participants were lacking in these feelings before daydreaming and when the daydream involved imagining others with whom the daydreamer had a high quality relationship. Findings are consistent with the idea that social daydreams may function to regulate emotion: imagining close others may serve the current emotional needs of daydreamers by increasing positive feelings towards themselves and others.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Consciousness and CognitionISSN
1053-8100Publisher
ElsevierExternal DOI
Volume
33Page range
135-144Department affiliated with
- Psychology Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2015-01-12First Open Access (FOA) Date
2015-01-12First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2015-01-12Usage metrics
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