Research

New study published From the abstract: This study aimed to shed light on the role of music in maladaptive daydreaming (MD), a psychological condition characterized by excessive, immersive daydreaming that interferes with well-being and functioning. Forty-one individuals with probable MD participated in asynchronous in-depth email interviews. A thematic analysis yielded three themes describing the role of music in MD. Two homogeneous themes pertained to outlier experiences: Music necessary and Music not desired. The third theme, Music enhances the MD experience, encompassed most of the data retrieved in this study and was further divided into five subthemes: Music avoided in “low energy” daydreaming scenes, Music as white noise, Music enhances MD creativity, Music as an MD trigger c...

New Study Published From the Abstract: All MD measures assessing daydreaming pathology, daydreaming frequency, and life functioning showed significant improvement with a large effect size (ES) from baseline to posttreatment in both intervention groups, whereas the wait-list group showed no significant improvement.Mindfulness with self-monitoring training for MD was superior to mindfulness alone in the short term, but they both were equally efficient in the long term. Both interventions were superior to relying on internet-based support forums only. The clinically significant improvement rate of mindfulness with self-monitoring training was 24%, while the reliable improvement rate reached 39%. At the 6-month follow-up, achievements were maintained. Herscu, O., Somer, E., Federman, ...

New paper published! From the abstract: ... Results showed that, compared to non-MDers, MDers showed significantly higher scores in all the study variables, except for cognitive reappraisal. Moreover, in the MDers network, the following patterns were identified: (i) no connections between the cluster of psychopathological symptoms, and neither cognitive reappraisal nor expressive suppression; (ii) a connection, through obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms, between the cluster of psychopathological symptoms and MD-interference with life; and (iii) a connection between PSNSU and MD-interference with life. Accordingly, the Network Comparison Test evidenced that the network structures of MDers vs. non-MDers were significantly different (M=.24; p=.01). Overall, higher scores on psychopath...

More research on MD and ASD published This month maladaptive daydreaming researchers, Melina West, Eli Somer and Inge-Marie Eigsti, published their second recent paper on the relationship between MD and ASD traits. The paper was published in Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, a journal which publishes "research on intellectual and developmental disabilities, and cognitive impairments resulting from acquired traumatic or nontraumatic brain injury." This is, currently the third paper to examine MD and ASD. For a full list of MD studies check out the publications tab of the ICMDR.From the abstract: A path analysis revealed that broad ASD traits were associated with MD symptoms via the mediating effects of loneliness and emotion regulation difficulties. Moreover, 43% of adults ...

New Study Published! Hildy Wen, of UMass Amherst, led a peer-reviewed paper, Daily feelings and the affective valence of daydreams in maladaptive daydreaming: A longitudinal analysis, published in Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. The findings indicate that individuals who daydream to cope with negative memories, feelings, and realities experience more negative emotions following the daydream. In contrast, individuals who daydream about rewarding pastimes and as a means of wish fulfillment typically experience more positive emotions. From the abstract: Individuals who experience higher levels of depression and daydream intensity experience greater levels of negative emotions after their daydreams. Individuals who daydream to cope with negative memories, fe...