--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The average daydream is about fourteen…" description: "\"The average daydream is about fourteen seconds long and we have about two thousand of them per day. In other words, we spend about half of our waking h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/jonathan-gottschall-14219_average_the-average-daydream-is-about-fourteen-s_2720447.jpg" --- # The average daydream is about fourteen seconds long and we… ![“The average daydream is about fourteen seconds long and we have about two thousand of them per day. In other words, we spend about half of our waking hours - one-third of our lives on earth - spinning fantasies.” quote by Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/jonathan-gottschall-14219_average_the-average-daydream-is-about-fourteen-s_2720447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/jonathan-gottschall-14219_average_the-average-daydream-is-about-fourteen-s_2720447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/jonathan-gottschall-14219_average_the-average-daydream-is-about-fourteen-s_2720447.jpg) > “The average daydream is about fourteen seconds long and we have about two thousand of them per day. In other words, we spend about half of our waking hours - one-third of our lives on earth - spinning fantasies.” [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Daydreams dominate a large portion of waking life, shaping imagination. **In simple terms:** We spend much time daydreaming. Key Takeaway Harness daydreams for creativity. Themes imagination cognition mind wandering creativity Mood curious reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - learning - stress relief Key Concepts psychology neuroscience creative writing problem solving Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel daydreams productively? - When is daydreaming beneficial? A Different Perspective May distract from tasks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Daydream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daydream/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Fantasies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasies/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [The real thing, when done right , is always better than a daydream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/the-real-thing-when-done-right-is-always-better-than-a-daydream/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I used to work in a factory and I was really happy because I could daydream all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-curtis/i-used-to-work-in-a-factory-and-i-was-really-happy-because-i-could/) [Ian Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-curtis/) > [If you don't daydream and kind of plan things out in your imagination, you never get there. So you have to start someplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/if-you-don-t-daydream-and-kind-of-plan-things-out-in-your-imagination/) [Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/) > [I try to get a feeling of what's going on in the story before I put it down on paper, but actually most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/i-try-to-get-a-feeling-of-what-s-going-on-in-the-story-before-i-put/) [William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/) > [I hated school because I liked to daydream and the system tried to stop me from that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-hated-school-because-i-liked-to-daydream-and-the-system-tried-to/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Therefore, the places in which we have experienced daydreaming reconstitute themselves in a new daydream, and it is because our memories of former dwelling-places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/therefore-the-places-in-which-we-have-experienced-daydreaming/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Darling I'm a nightmare dressed like daydream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/darling-i-m-a-nightmare-dressed-like-daydream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's true that I tend to daydream. I'm the same person in business as I am in music: I can be distracted and absentminded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-getty/it-s-true-that-i-tend-to-daydream-i-m-the-same-person-in-business-as/) [Gordon Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-getty/) > [A goal without an action plan is a daydream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-goal-without-an-action-plan-is-a-daydream/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [The difference between a vision and a daydream is the audacity to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/the-difference-between-a-vision-and-a-daydream-is-the-audacity-to-act/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [I daydream just like everybody else. I just do it with my body facing the field, so everybody thinks I'm paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-maddux/i-daydream-just-like-everybody-else-i-just-do-it-with-my-body-facing/) [Greg Maddux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-maddux/) > [I wake up around noon, light a cigarette, get a cup of coffee, sit in the bathtub for an hour and daydream, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-wake-up-around-noon-light-a-cigarette-get-a-cup-of-coffee-sit-in/) [Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/) > [If your vision doesn't cost you something, it's a daydream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/if-your-vision-doesn-t-cost-you-something-it-s-a-daydream/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [I daydream about a high school where everybody plays the harmonica: the students, the teachers, the principal, the janitor and the cook in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-daydream-about-a-high-school-where-everybody-plays-the-harmonica/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [I daydream too. I visualise. I think ahead, I can do it now, sitting here. I think ahead to the walk-in, I can hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-daydream-too-i-visualise-i-think-ahead-i-can-do-it-now-sitting-here/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) ## More by Jonathan Gottschall > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [If someone breaks into your home when you're there - that is, they don't wait to be sure that the house is empty -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/if-someone-breaks-into-your-home-when-you-re-there-that-is-they-don-t/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Part of why I was attracted to the idea of owning a gun was self-defense, and part of it was that I've been fascinated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/part-of-why-i-was-attracted-to-the-idea-of-owning-a-gun-was-self/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Human minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. No matter how hard we concentrate, no matter how deep we dig in our heels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/human-minds-yield-helplessly-to-the-suction-of-story-no-matter-how/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“As the video game designer and writer James Wallis puts it, “Human beings like stories. Our brains have a natural affinity not only for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/as-the-video-game-designer-and-writer-james-wallis-puts-it-human/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [In an effort to civilize combat sports, authorities mandated padded gloves and instantly made the sports far more savage. Granted, putting gloves on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/in-an-effort-to-civilize-combat-sports-authorities-mandated-padded/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [People like head trauma. They love knockouts. The crowd is silent, silent, silent... and then a knockout happens, and everyone goes native. There would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/people-like-head-trauma-they-love-knockouts-the-crowd-is-silent/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Fiction seems to be more effective at changing beliefs than nonfiction, which is designed to persuade through argument and evidence. Studies show that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/fiction-seems-to-be-more-effective-at-changing-beliefs-than/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/we-are-as-a-species-addicted-to-story-even-when-the-body-goes-to/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Getting punched in the face with a padded glove doesn't really hurt your face. It doesn't hurt your skull. The only thing it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/getting-punched-in-the-face-with-a-padded-glove-doesn-t-really-hurt/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Story is where people go to practice the key skills of human social life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/story-is-where-people-go-to-practice-the-key-skills-of-human-social/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [The brain stays up all night telling stories while we sleep. We just call them dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/the-brain-stays-up-all-night-telling-stories-while-we-sleep-we-just/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“Commentators frequently blame MMORPGs for an increasing sense of isolation in modern life. But virtual worlds are less a cause of that isolation than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/commentators-frequently-blame-mmorpgs-for-an-increasing-sense-of/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [“Conspiracy theories—feverishly creative, lovingly plotted—are in fact fictional stories that some people believe. 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