Nine in ten marketers say regular daydreaming helps to improve performance and motivation in the workplace, according to a daydreamer report published by Travelodge.
Marketers daydream seven times during their working day with each daydream lasting on average more than five minutes.
The top five daydreamers by profession:
- Marketing
- Bankers
- Lawyers
- Estate agents
- Civil servants
Embarrassment
Over a third of marketers (36 per cent) admitted there had been occasions when they were engrossed in their daydream that they have completely said the wrong thing in a meeting.
A further 15 per cent said they have made a mistake at work because they were so occupied by their daydream.
A fifth stated they are regularly caught daydreaming on the job by their colleagues.
Performance
However, the research revealed 90 per cent of marketing professionals employ daydreaming every day to help them improve their performance and make them more motivated in the workplace.
Some 32 per cent said they daydream to help work through and resolve problems, while a quarter (23 per cent) reported daydreaming increased creativity.
Chris Idzikowski, sleep expert from Edinburgh Sleep Centre said: “This is a very interesting study, illustrating how daydreaming is a natural part of our cycle.
“Dreaming during the night occurs on a 90 minute cycle and it is thought that daydreaming follows a similar pattern, however daily activities interrupt that. Dreaming in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep helps improve our memory – perhaps we need the same downtime for daydreaming?”