The Death of Daydreaming

Shift from Daydreaming to Constant Stimulation

• Many describe phones (and infinite-scroll/social apps) as “subtle drugs” that fill every idle moment, squeezing out reflection and casual interaction.
• Several note they now never feel or hear “I’m bored” from kids or adults; boredom has been almost engineered away.
• Some push back: even pre-smartphone, people avoided boredom with books, magazines, puzzles, Walkmans, etc. The big change is ease, intensity, and infinite novelty.

Boredom, Daydreaming, and Mental Processing

• Commenters link daydreaming to strategy, creativity, and emotional processing; ideas often appear in showers, runs, walks, commutes, or repetitive manual tasks (lego, knitting, weaving, metal models, dog walks).
• Others highlight the brain’s “default mode” as essential for integrating experience; constant distraction can defer anxiety and impair sleep.
• Some argue boredom itself isn’t “good,” but the ability to tolerate unstimulated time is, versus jittery screen-induced ennui.

Costs and Risks: Addiction, Anxiety, Maladaptive Daydreaming

• Multiple people describe compulsive doomscrolling across ages, with time “just disappearing” and a lingering sense of emptiness.
• A recurring theme: screens feel like relief from anxiety but actually prevent working through difficult decisions and emotions, creating a “lukewarm vat of anxiety.”
• A minority warn that daydreaming can itself become maladaptive—used as a shortcut to emotional rewards that substitute for real action.

Practical Countermeasures

• Tactics include: dumbphones or “DIY dumbphone” smartphones (no browser/email/infinite scroll), desktop-only internet, /etc/hosts or HN “noprocrast,” leaving phones in another room, or only using them for maps, payments, messaging.
• Many deliberately reserve “empty time”: tech-free walks, bike rides, subway rides, saunas, showers, toilet, or dog walks with no audio.
• Busy-hands/idle-mind activities (lego with instructions, knitting, weaving, simple sports) are praised as ideal for gentle mind-wandering.

Parenting, Social Life, and Culture

• Several parents intentionally restrict screens to preserve kids’ boredom, self-entertainment, and social skills (e.g., restaurant behavior, car trips).
• Others feel judged; they argue not all screen use is low-quality—people might be reading serious material on phones.
• There’s disagreement whether this era is more individualistic (curated feeds, echo chambers) or collectivist (constant immersion in others’ ideas).

Dissenting Views

• Some genuinely prefer continuous input and see smartphones as a net positive tool for learning, navigation, photography, and entertainment.
• A few report little or no susceptibility to “phone addiction” and find the small screen inherently unappealing compared to computers or books.