PUBLICATION NAME: Psychology Today
DATE OF PUBLICATION: November 14, 2010
SUMMARY: Daniel Gilbert and Matthew Killingsworth recently found from a study they did that most people are "mentally checked out" for about half of their time. In addition to this, the people that participated in the study reported that during the time that they let their minds wander, they were unhappy. Rock concludes that the amount of mind wandering that is done can be used as an indicator as to how happy one is when doing an activity. The more that the mind wanders during an activity, the less happiness it brings to the person.
Rock then links this study to another study by Norman Farb called, "Mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reverence." From this study Norman Farb concluded that humans are able to experience things in two different ways using different networks. The first network, called the default network, becomes active when not much else is happening. This network allows the mind to wander rather than paying direct attention to one's surroundings.
The other way of interacting with experiences is through direct experience. This mode of thought allows one to focus directly on what is happening right at that moment.
According to Kirk Brown, mindfulness is one of the keys to more cognitive control. It is a habit that you must develop, and by adjusting your mind to become more mindful, you can become happier person.
LINKS TO STUDY: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6006/932.abstract
SUBMITTED BY: Kimmy Guzzetta
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