The Way University Students Cope with Real-World Problems: Daydreaming

Abstract

Daydreaming is a type of mental time travel into the future. Although many cultures consider daydreaming a waste of time, the vast majority of people spend part of the day daydreaming. The age at which daydreaming is most intense is self-reported to be between 17 and 29. In this qualitative research, I wanted to find out what university students' daydreams are, who is in their most intense daydreaming phase, and how these daydreams affect their lives. To this end, I conducted qualitative interviews with 41 university students aged 19 and 27. As a result of the thematic analysis, I identified the following three key themes: “daydreaming”, “positive aspects of daydreaming”, and “negative aspects of daydreaming”. Within the framework of the findings, I provided practical advice for professionals offering psychological help.