People Let Their Minds Wander And Think About Something Else During A Task At Least 50% Of The Time, Which Can Have A Positive Effect On Emotional Well-Being When Done Intentionally

Prostock-studio - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Prostock-studio - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

Just in case you didn’t know, it’s normal for your mind to wander. While some people are better at maintaining their focus than others, almost everyone’s minds wander from time to time, regardless of the difficulty level of the activity they are engaging in.

People like to blame phones and social media for mind-wandering, but they are not entirely responsible for our distraction. Even without them, our minds will still drag us off task.

Scientists have found that at least 50 percent of the time, individuals are thinking about something else during a task.

Usually, mind-wandering happens when you’re in the middle of performing a boring task at work or home.

You might stop what you’re doing and get lost in the thought of a fictional scenario in which you’re best friends with your favorite celebrity.

Or perhaps you tend to reminisce about your past travels, reliving all the new sights, sounds, and smells you experienced.

When our minds wander, our focus shifts away from the task at hand to unrelated topics and thoughts.

Have you ever wondered how a wandering mind might affect our feelings? To determine the link between mind-wandering and emotional well-being, a group of scientists led by Julia W.Y. Kam from the University of Calgary conducted a meta-analysis using advanced statistical methods to incorporate data from over 23,000 volunteers.

A meta-analysis is a statistical combination of the results of multiple previously published studies that addressed a similar research question.

Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

It extracts data from a much larger pool of volunteers than what can be collected from typical studies, making it more accurate and trustworthy.

In the study, the research team considered a number of factors that could impact the relationship between mind-wandering and emotional well-being.

They came to the conclusion that there is a negative association between mind-wandering and emotional well-being, meaning that mind-wandering makes us feel worse more often than it makes us feel better.

The scientists examined the content of the thoughts that the volunteers had while their minds were wandering.

When the thoughts were negative, like fears and worries, for example, the effect on emotional well-being was also negative. But when the content was positive, such as thinking about a fun vacation, the effect was positive.

Next, they considered the intentionality behind the thoughts. If we let our minds wander on purpose like when a teacher is droning on about an uninteresting subject, the effect on emotional well-being is more positive than when mind-wandering occurs involuntarily.

Overall, letting the mind wander intentionally to experience positive thoughts can have a positive impact on emotional well-being, while involuntarily experiencing negative thoughts makes us feel worse.

The meta-analysis was recently published in the highly-ranked peer-reviewed scientific journal Psychological Bulletin.

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Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan

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