In your daydreams, pretty much anything is possible. You can win the lottery and dramatically quit your job the next morning. You can finally confess your feelings to your crush without worrying about the consequences. Or perhaps you’re a mysterious life form on a distant planet, where all those pesky human problems are no longer your concern. It’s nice to escape into these little fantasies occasionally, especially when real life isn’t quite as exciting. Eventually, though, most of us return to whatever we were doing. But some people have imaginations that are far more vivid and much harder to control. Inside their minds, they create entire universes, with characters they grow attached to and storylines that have been developing for years. They might pace around their bedrooms for hours, listening to the same song on repeat as they act out scenes from their stories. They may even laugh or cry in response to events that have never actually happened. This phenomenon is known as maladaptive daydreaming, and one study found that those experiencing it devoted an average of 56% of their waking day to it. It can interfere with work, lead to neglected responsibilities, and strain personal relationships. Researchers are now trying to understand what causes it and why it can be so difficult to stop, even when it’s creating serious problems. Magnific (not the actual photo) Daydreaming isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a natural part of being human. Our minds wander when we’re bored, and imagining pleasant scenarios can give us a break from everyday worries. These mental escapes may even lift our mood or help us come up with creative ideas. The problem starts when an occasional distraction becomes something much harder to manage. The term maladaptive daydreaming was introduced in 2002 by clinical psychologist Eli Somer. While treating patients for unrelated psychological difficulties, he noticed that six of them had something unusual in common. They would lose themselves in elaborate fantasies, often using them to escape painful feelings or experiences. One patient, for example, had gone through a difficult breakup but continued the relationship in his imagination. Another, who struggled with loneliness, invented conversations he wished he could have in reality. Somer realized that what they were describing was different from ordinary daydreaming and published a paper exploring the phenomenon. But where exactly does normal daydreaming end and maladaptive daydreaming begin? Somer describes several different forms. First, there’s mind-wandering, when your thoughts drift from one everyday topic to another. Perhaps you’re supposed to be reading a book, yet suddenly find yourself thinking about what to cook for dinner. Then there’s ordinary daydreaming, where you create a more focused scenario in your head. Another form is immersive daydreaming, which involves especially vivid, detailed stories that can feel almost like watching a movie. They may feature recurring characters, complicated plots, and strong emotions. Having such a rich imagination isn’t automatically an issue, though. Someone can enjoy these elaborate mental adventures without neglecting anything important. Maladaptive daydreaming takes things a step further. The urge to return to these stories becomes so strong that it interferes with everyday activities or causes significant distress. In other words, it’s not the imagination itself that’s the problem, but how much it gets in the way of everything else. It’s also important to understand that this isn’t the same as psychosis. Those experiencing it generally know perfectly well that their fictional characters and scenarios aren’t real. They’re not hallucinating or mistaking their creations for actual events. Despite being studied for more than two decades, maladaptive daydreaming still isn’t officially recognized as a separate mental health disorder in major diagnostic manuals. Researchers have developed questionnaires to identify it and are continuing to investigate whether it should receive formal recognition. Magnific (not the actual photo) To get an idea of just how elaborate these daydreams can become, consider the story of a woman called Kyla. Speaking to The Guardian, she described a fictional universe involving advanced space travel, with a main character whose story spans an astonishing 79 years. She knows exactly what happens throughout his existence and can revisit any particular point whenever she likes. For Kyla, it’s a bit like having a personal Netflix series she can watch whenever she wants. These days, she limits herself to around an hour of daydreaming daily. Previously, however, it had been much harder to keep in check. Another woman, Karina Lopez, told the same publication that she often replays imaginary conversations, changing little details until she’s satisfied with how they unfold. During college, she sometimes became so absorbed that she forgot to study for exams or run errands. On particularly difficult days, she could lose as many as six hours this way. And then there’s Chiara Gala, who spoke to i-D magazine about daydreaming for as long as ten hours at a time. At 23, she described having six separate fictional universes, each featuring an idealized version of herself. In these alternative realities, she could accomplish everything she wanted, even when things weren’t going nearly as well outside her imagination. The problem was that imagining success began replacing her motivation to pursue it. As she explained, “But I also didn’t want to stop.” Chiara only discovered the term maladaptive daydreaming through TikTok, after years of struggling to find an explanation for her experiences. The platform has become a place where users compare their habits and discuss the elaborate storylines they’ve created. For example, 20-year-old Johanna Engvall told i-D that her fictional scenarios were inspired by books and movies. During the pandemic, when she was isolated and attending school online, she found herself retreating into them more frequently. Eventually, she even began leaving social situations early because she wanted to return to daydreaming. yuk3ss, chaysembyrd All this attention hasn’t been entirely well received, however. TikTok has faced criticism over videos encouraging users to diagnose themselves with mental health conditions based on a handful of common behaviors. And recognizing yourself in one of these clips doesn’t necessarily mean you have a disorder. Somer worries that this trend could make it harder for maladaptive daydreaming to be taken seriously by medical professionals. Speaking to i-D, he warned that viral self-diagnosis videos could give skeptics another reason to dismiss it as a passing internet trend rather than a genuine clinical concern. Still, there’s a positive side to this attention. Online communities have given individuals a place to discuss something they may have kept secret for years. Johanna, for instance, has found useful advice from others about staying connected to reality, while Chiara finally feels comfortable talking openly about her experiences. For those who’ve long struggled to explain what’s happening inside their minds, finding others who understand can make a real difference. koldunova_anna/Magnific (not the actual photo) After hearing these stories, it’s natural to wonder what makes someone retreat so deeply into their imagination. Researchers still don’t have a definite answer, though several studies suggest it may be connected to how we cope with difficult emotions. For instance, someone who feels lonely might imagine having a loving partner or a close group of friends. A child growing up in a stressful household could invent a happier place to escape to whenever things get overwhelming. Over time, returning to these comforting scenarios may become a habit that’s difficult to give up. There’s research supporting this explanation. A 2021 study involving 539 adults found that childhood trauma was associated with using elaborate daydreams to distract from painful memories. Those who had experienced neglect or emotional mistreatment were also more likely to use their imaginations to soothe emotional distress. Still, not everyone who experiences maladaptive daydreaming has a history of trauma. For others, it may develop without an obvious trigger. Researchers believe that a natural ability to create vivid mental imagery could also play a role. Kampus/Magnific Studies have also found that maladaptive daydreaming frequently appears alongside other mental health conditions, particularly attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a 2017 study involving 39 individuals with maladaptive daydreaming, nearly 77% also met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Anxiety and depression were common among the group, too. More recently, a 2025 analysis of 40 studies involving nearly 25,000 individuals found significant associations with several mental health conditions. The connection with ADHD is particularly noteworthy because both can involve difficulties concentrating. However, the reasons behind the distraction may be quite different. Someone with ADHD might struggle to keep their attention on a task, whereas a person experiencing maladaptive daydreaming may be concentrating intensely, just on a story playing out inside their head instead. A 2025 study also found evidence that the two conditions can be distinguished, even when someone experiences both. Having ADHD doesn’t automatically mean a person is prone to excessive daydreaming, and the reverse isn’t necessarily true either. Then there’s the question of why the habit persists. Researchers have compared certain aspects of maladaptive daydreaming to behavioral addictions. The enjoyment and relief someone gets from escaping into a fictional scenario may encourage them to return again and again, even when they recognize that it’s affecting their well-being. Ultimately, there probably isn’t one explanation that fits everyone. What begins as an enjoyable pastime for one person might develop as a way of coping with emotional pain for another. Understanding those differences could be important when it comes to finding ways to help. drobotdean/Magnific (not the actual photo) Is there anything someone can do if their imagination starts taking over? There’s still no standard treatment for maladaptive daydreaming, and scientists have a lot more to learn about what works best. However, researchers have already identified some promising approaches. One of these was tested in a 2023 study involving a short online program designed to reduce excessive daydreaming. It included mindfulness exercises, which teach individuals to pay attention to the present, and self-monitoring, where they tracked their habits and learned to recognize what triggered them. Around 39% of those receiving the interventions showed reliable improvement, and the benefits were still evident six months later. That doesn’t mean the program worked for everyone, but it suggests that learning to recognize when the mind starts drifting away can make a meaningful difference. Therapy may also be useful. As Harvard Health Publishing explains, approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help address associated mental health difficulties and develop healthier ways of coping. For someone who retreats into fiction to escape loneliness or anxiety, understanding what’s driving that urge may be just as important as reducing the habit itself. There are smaller steps worth considering, too. Recognizing personal triggers, such as certain music or being alone for extended periods, may make it easier to interrupt a session before it gets out of hand. Keeping a journal or finding other activities that provide a sense of satisfaction could also be useful. These strategies aren’t guaranteed solutions, and anyone whose daydreaming is seriously interfering with their daily activities may benefit from speaking with a mental health professional. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that having a vivid imagination isn’t something that needs to be fixed. The ability to invent extraordinary stories or disappear into a fictional universe can be a wonderful source of creativity and comfort. The difficulty arises when those stories start taking more from someone than they give back. And the goal isn’t necessarily to stop dreaming altogether, but to make sure there’s still plenty worth returning to when the daydream ends.
