Daydreaming is a healthy and natural act of the human psyche, according to American Health magazine. Like dreams during sleep, daydreaming surges every 90 minutes. It is at its peak from noon to 2 pm, when body temperature is at its highest. The phenomenon also reveals a great deal about us. Some people use their fantasies to help them make decisions, while others "escape" to enhance their sense of well-being and creativity, say Pam L. Blondin, a clinical social worker and director of programmers and services at the Child and Family Service of Saginaw County, Michigan.66. __________. Daydreaming helps people cope with a wide range of problems, partly providing insight into our emotional needs, as well as unmet needs and goals, experts say. By some estimates, approximately half of our waking thoughts consist of daydreams and fantasies.67. __________. "Daydreaming keeps our personal agendas in front of us," says psychologist Eric Klinger of the University of Minnesota, author of a new book on the subject. Daydreaming plays an important role in organizing our lives, he says. "We can actually learn something by paying attention to the whimsical interludes that occasionally interrupt our more structured thoughts."68. __________. Active, imaginative lives are vital to children’s development, American Health reports. Most children start fantasizing between the ages of 2 and 5. "Children struggle to understand life’s complexity, from jet planes to the TV images flashed into their living rooms," says Yale University psychologist Jerome L. Singer. He believes that make-believe helps youngsters break down elements to a level they can understand. "Unless a child’s daydreaming is interfering with progress in school or hampering her social skills, there is no need to discourage it," Singer says.The types of daydreams people have, whether they are pleasant and hopeful or filled with despair, take shape in childhood when everyone develops one of three basic daydreaming styles: positive, negative and scattered, American Health reports. Although everyone lapses occasionally into each of these types, positive daydreamers are more likely to imagine happy, playful or entertaining scenarios. Negative daydreamers tend to dwell on life’s darker side, envisioning dangerous and/or life-threatening situations, such as the onset of a fatal or debilitating disease of becoming a victim of violence. Scattered daydreamers are easily bored and distracted. "Their mental images tend to be fleeting, repetitive and shallow, like variations on the same fairy tale," explains Yale psychologist Roni Tower. 69. __________. There are times when drifting away can cause problems, according to Blondin. "If daydreaming gets in the way of daily function because the person is doing it all day, the person won’t be very productive," she says. "The amount of time and the frequency that a person daydreams is what’s important. It should not take up all of your time. If people find their daydreaming is becoming excessive, they should take a realistic look at what’s going on in their life and ask themselves what they are trying to avoid. Then they can assess what steps they need to take to correct the situation." Anyone who has a hard time discriminating between reality and fantasy or starts replacing real-life family and friends with imagined people should seek professional help.70. __________.A. Besides getting rid of boredom, daydreaming can make truly grim situations a little easier to endure, Klinger writes in Whole Earth Review magazine. "Daydreaming is one of the most common and one of the most private things we do. It is intensely personal and intensely revealing, because you are in action within the area of your mind."B. But daydreaming can be beneficial in many ways and, ironically, can actually boost productivity. Plus, it’s something almost everyone does naturally. Psychologists estimate that we daydream for one-third to one-half of our waking hours, although a single daydream lasts only a few minutes.C. "Daydreaming can be an escape that feels good in the midst of a hectic day," Blondin explain. "It’s a good stress reducer at the desk. Getting away from it all for a while, so to speak, isn’t something that is going to hurt anyone. Sometimes it helps people tap into creativity that is not always conscious."D. Singer sums up the advantages of daydreams to the average person: "By sitting quietly and letting your daydreams emerge instead of squelching them, you may find there are parts of yourself you haven’t been listening to. Instead of fearing them, you’ll gain access to a tremendous range of interesting, creative ideas."E. While all three types are common, positive fantasies are likeliest to serve as springboards for problem solving, while negative and scattered daydreams may leave a person feeling anxious. "Negative daydreamers are waiting for the ’other shoe to fall’. Their fantasies are often guilt-ridden or obsessive," Tower explains.F. While researchers differ in their definition of these terms, in general they define them as spontaneous, undirected musings that pop in and out of our head regardless of what is going on around us; and, contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of daydreams are not wildly unrealistic.