Beyond rumination: an ecological momentary assessment of daily thinking patterns in maladaptive daydreaming

Higher maladaptive daydreaming severity in 446 young adults (18–34) is linked to worse mood and greater thought persistence, beyond variance shared with trait rumination.

• Why it matters: It is unclear how maladaptive daydreaming shows up in everyday thought experience and which features are distinct from rumination, a common transdiagnostic repetitive-thinking pattern.
• What they did: In a pre-registered ecological momentary assessment study, participants reported daily thinking while maladaptive daydreaming severity was measured with the 16-item Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale.
• The result: Maladaptive daydreaming uniquely predicted worse mood, more internally- and socially-oriented thought, and stronger overall thought persistence, and it moderated internal–social thought links by strengthening their positive association at higher severity.

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