Have you ever heard of 'soft fascination'?

It's the easiest way to recharge your brain 🧠

Hey there,

DD HQ here. We’re not trying to be weird, but have you ever heard of the term “soft fascination”?

Trust us, it’s a scientific concept (in the research world, it falls under something fancy called the ‘Attention Restoration Theory’). We’ve hinted at it a few times in past newsletters, but this week we’re going down a soft fascination rabbit hole.

Here’s why we’re so curious about it: The idea of living a soft, slow life seems to be a craving in our collective consciousness lately. On a spectrum of quiet quitting to celebrating the #softlife on Tiktok (a hashtag with 609M views), our decades-long obsession with productivity, efficiency and achievement has left us needing some space around the edges.

At Daydreamers, we talk a lot about the importance of expanding our definition of rest - not only to include slowing down, but rejuvenating our creative brains, too. And, making room for soft fascination is an idea we’ve been noodling on for a while - because to us, it’s an effortless form of daydreaming.

And, we’re here for all the easy stuff we can get 🛸

Before we share why we’re so intrigued - we’re pumped to announce that we’re kicking off our latest Early Access cohort and honestly, we’re amazed at how many of you are waiting to join us. See if you’re a fit to join our next cohort by signing up for your chat with Dupi + Katina here:

Tell us what would honestly feel more rejuvenating after a long day of answering emails: Reading a new book, or spending a few moments watching the sunset?

The latter sounds dreamy (and rare), likely because it contains all the elements of soft fascination - natural beauty, tranquility and gentle movement of your attention. It’s basically the opposite of ‘hard’ concentration.

Don’t get us wrong, reading a book is a powerful way to expand your creative brain, but it doesn’t give our ‘Focus Network’ the break it needs.

In our world today, we’re always trying to focus more. We’ll go to great lengths to enhance our mental capacity in order to get more stuff done. Yet, as our co-founder, Katina, wrote in a piece published in Fast Company last week, we aren’t meant to optimize our thoughts for efficiency.

The answer is actually quite the opposite: giving ourselves room to daydream is core to creative rejuvenation - and even sustained focus.

But, you already know that.

Think of soft fascination as another tool in our mental rejuvenation bucket. What’s so different about it? It specifically happens when we expose ourselves to natural environments, shapes and even images. In doing so, we’re subconsciously diverting our brain’s Focus Network to a gentle, idyllic environment without trying to do much of…anything.

All the work is happening behind the scenes - you don’t need to imagine anything new or dream up your latest spark of inspiration in order to feel mentally rejuvenated.

We love this description by New York Times columnist Lisa Damour: “…soft fascination relieves stress by helping us close those mental browser tabs; unhurried reflection lets us sift through mental clutter, quiet internal noise, and come up with fresh, useful solutions.”

Sounds like it’s simply allowing your naturally creative brain to thrive, huh?

The coolest part to us about this is that on a scale of effortful enjoyment to effortless tranquility, soft fascination allows us to recharge our brain in the easiest way possible. Researchers have found that even just looking at soft, natural images (let’s say, on your computer between emails or out your window) can reduce stress, promote self-regulation and even restore our focus.

So, if daydreaming feels like too much of a jump, try letting your mind wander in the softest way possible: in fresh air - literally or figuratively.

At Daydreamers, we’re here for all the types of mental rejuvenation we can get. With us? 🌱

Katina + Dupi

and the entire team @ DD HQ

If you’re fascinated by the topics we share here + want to find out how you can make space for more ‘effortless tranquility’ in your life - get a chat with Katina to see if you’re a fit for Daydreamers before our next cohort opens up.

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An idea to noodle on 💭

Soft fascination is the easiest way to daydream

THINK ON THIS: Letting your creative brain recharge in natural environments is like a double-whammy. Not only does it help us increase concentration afterwards, but it creates space for gentle reflection, too. One study even found that going on hikes can boost creativity by 47% 🧠 How’s that for inspiring rejuvenation?

…MAYBE NOT THAT: Daydreaming, mind-wandering and soft fascination all fall under the same bucket - and guess what? They aren’t frivolous. They’re actually core components to helping us sustain focus, feel recharged and move towards our goals. Attention Restoration Theory (ART) is a burgeoning area of research that shows our attention needs various components to expand our mental bandwidth.

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Inside our brains at DD HQ  🧠

Okay need we say more?! Daydreaming is the birthplace of creativity. Yes, we’ve been saying this forever, but there’s a dark side to productivity. Is creating avatars a form of self-expression? This feels like validation for being a ‘hot mess’ and we’re here for it. Is our obsession with workaholism over? Maybe we’re just becoming fascinated with space.

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Ideas from the DD Crew 🛸

We started doing something pretty sick in the private DD world, if you ask us: chatting about Head in the Clouds each week, together. Think of it like a weekly deep dive into the minds of our co-founders + community about all the topics you read here.

Want in? Join Daydreamers Early Access to chat with our community in a deeper way. This week, we’re talking about soft fascination and why making space to slow down in our world today feels impossible (but how we can do it anyway).

In the meantime, tell us what you think in the comments below!