Introduction
Adolescence is a critical developmental period characterized by heightened imagination, identity exploration, and cognitive flexibility. During this stage, daydreaming plays a central role in emotional regulation and creative thinking. However, when excessive and immersive, daydreaming may shift from an adaptive cognitive activity to a maladaptive pattern known as maladaptive daydreaming.
First conceptualized by Eli Somer (2002), maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is defined as extensive fantasy activity that replaces human interaction and interferes with academic, social, or emotional functioning. Despite its pathological aspects, recent studies suggest that maladaptive daydreaming may also be closely linked to creativity, particularly during adolescence, when imaginative capacity is especially salient.
Creativity And Adaptive Daydreaming
Creativity is commonly defined as the ability to generate ideas that are both novel and appropriate (Runco & Jaeger, 2012). Adolescents frequently engage in imaginative thinking as part of creative problem-solving, storytelling, and artistic expression. In its adaptive form, daydreaming has been associated with enhanced divergent thinking, narrative construction, and emotional insight (Mooneyham & Schooler, 2013).
These findings raise a key question: can maladaptive daydreaming, despite its functional impairments, also be associated with elevated creative potential?
Maladaptive Daydreaming And Creative Cognition
Empirical findings indicate that individuals with maladaptive daydreaming tendencies often report highly detailed fantasy worlds, complex characters, and ongoing internal narratives (Somer et al., 2016). These characteristics overlap significantly with core components of creative cognition, including originality, imagination, and narrative fluency.
In adolescence—when executive control systems are still maturing—immersive fantasy may function as a compensatory mechanism that supports creative expression, particularly in contexts where external opportunities for creativity are limited. Internal fantasy worlds may thus become spaces for identity exploration and symbolic experimentation.
A Non-Linear Relationship: Creativity As Both Resource And Risk
Research examining the relationship between maladaptive daydreaming and creativity suggests a nuanced, non-linear association. While moderate levels of daydreaming are positively correlated with creativity, excessive and compulsive fantasy engagement may interfere with the translation of creative ideas into real-world outcomes (Zabelina & Andrews-Hanna, 2016).
Adolescents with maladaptive daydreaming may generate highly original internal ideas but struggle to externalize them due to attentional difficulties, reduced behavioral initiation, or social withdrawal. This highlights the dual nature of maladaptive daydreaming as both a creative reservoir and a functional risk factor.
Emotional Regulation, Context, And Development
From a developmental perspective, maladaptive daydreaming in adolescence is often shaped by emotional and environmental factors. Studies consistently link MD with loneliness, anxiety, and chronic emotional stress (Somer et al., 2017). In such contexts, fantasy may serve as an emotional refuge, allowing adolescents to construct alternative identities, idealized relationships, or emotionally meaningful narratives.
While these internal worlds may nurture creative self-concepts, excessive reliance on them can reduce engagement with real-world experiences—an essential component of sustained creative development. Creativity requires not only imagination, but also interaction, feedback, and embodiment within social and material contexts.
Distinguishing Imagination From Maladaptation
Importantly, not all adolescents who engage in intense or vivid daydreaming experience maladaptive outcomes. Distinguishing between high imaginative involvement and maladaptive daydreaming is therefore crucial.
The Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS-16) emphasizes psychological distress and functional impairment rather than imagination itself (Somer et al., 2016). This distinction is particularly important in developmental and educational settings, as pathologizing imagination without contextual sensitivity may obscure its adaptive and creative functions.
Implications For Education And Clinical Practice
Understanding the relationship between maladaptive daydreaming and creativity has important implications for both educational and clinical interventions. Rather than attempting to suppress fantasy engagement, supportive approaches may focus on helping adolescents channel imaginative capacity into structured creative outlets, such as writing, visual arts, music, or scientific inquiry.
Providing opportunities for creative expression may reduce the functional impairments associated with maladaptive daydreaming while preserving—and even strengthening—its imaginative strengths. Such approaches align with developmental needs and respect the role of fantasy in identity formation.
Conclusion
Maladaptive daydreaming in adolescence represents a complex cognitive phenomenon situated at the intersection of imagination, emotional regulation, and creativity. While excessive fantasy engagement can interfere with daily functioning, it may also reflect heightened creative potential.
Recognizing maladaptive daydreaming as a double-edged cognitive process allows researchers, educators, and clinicians to move beyond simplistic pathologization. Future longitudinal research is needed to clarify causal pathways and identify contextual factors that shape the MD–creativity relationship. Supporting adolescents in transforming inner fantasy into meaningful creative expression may be key to fostering both psychological well-being and creative growth.
References
Mooneyham, B. W., & Schooler, J. W. (2013). The costs and benefits of mind-wandering: A review. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 67(1), 11–18.
Runco, M. A., & Jaeger, G. J. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 92–96.
Somer, E. (2002). Maladaptive daydreaming: A qualitative inquiry. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 32(2–3), 197–212.
Somer, E., Lehrfeld, J., Bigelsen, J., & Jopp, D. S. (2016). Development and validation of the Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS). Consciousness and Cognition, 39, 77–91.
Somer, E., Soffer-Dudek, N., & Ross, C. A. (2017). The comorbidity of maladaptive daydreaming. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 205(7), 525–530.
Zabelina, D. L., & Andrews-Hanna, J. R. (2016). Dynamic network interactions supporting internally oriented cognition. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 40, 86–93.