We invite you to take part in a research study on maladaptive daydreaming, daily feelings, and mood. Participants must be 18 and over, read English fluently and identify as maladaptive daydreamers*[1]. The study involves an online daily survey that includes questions about your emotions, psychological symptoms, and daydreaming characteristics. This survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to finish each day for a total of 14 days (2 weeks).
Participation in this scientific survey is completely voluntary. There is no monetary compensation. However, your participation in the advancement of MD research is greatly appreciated.
Your participation in the study is highly appreciated because it could help to provide a better understanding of the emotional effect of maladaptive daydreaming and help promote knowledge on MD among mental health professionals. If you would like to join us, you can find out more about the study and complete the initial survey following this link:
https://forms.gle/zGPrD85ihmvHYMuk7
If you have any questions or concerns, you can email us at hildyjwen@gmail.com or somer@research.haifa.ac.il.
Thank you,
Hildy Wen
Eli Somer, PhD (University of Haifa)
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[1] For the purposes of the study, we refer to immersive daydreaming defined as fantastical mental images and visual stories/narratives that are not currently part of your life. With fantastical, we mean that the content of the experience is remarkable, bizarre, or unrealistic in some way. Therefore, we are not referring to such acts such as reminiscing over past events, planning for future activities such as mentally preparing for a meeting with your boss, or thinking about your mental “to do” list. We also do not include in this study sexual fantasies for self-gratification. Examples of daydreams that can be included would be hanging out with a favorite celebrity, winning a gold medal in the Olympics (unless you are an Olympic level athlete), telling off your boss after winning the lottery, having a romantic affair with an attractive co-worker who isn’t interested in you, living in a parallel fantasy world, imagining violent, scary or tragic events that had never happened to you, engaging in heroic or rescue actions, etc. Any daydreams involving fictional characters or plots should also be included.
You have maladaptive daydreaming if you engage in the kind of mental activity described above and if it causes you distress or impairs an important area of functioning.