How Did Your Research Lead You to Study Mind-Wandering?

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The brain by default is very active when there's no task at hand. When we tell the individuals to rest, their brains are nevertheless vigorously active. The default mode network is really the seat of the platform or form mind wandering. It takes all this energy from in a metabolic energy for creating some processes that we're not familiar. And again, we think about evolution and this thing has to play some role. We will get into mood. So I definitely want to talk about it."

Most of us are productivity junkies. We pride ourselves on how much we accomplish and how long we maintain our focus. But our brains know better. Sooner or later, they start to wander. To the tune of nearly half our waking hours. Moshe Bar, cognitive scientist and author of the book, Mindwandering: How Your Constant Mental Drift Can Improve Your Mood and Boost Creativity, argues that we need these daydreams. They promote connections that inform our sense of self, lift our mood and stimulate creativity. Bar also believes the better we understand how mind wandering works, the more effective we’ll be at accessing it when we need it most. This is a mind-expanding book. It’ll give you a peek into the thought process of a brilliant cognitive scientist and a new appreciation for what you may have thought of as an annoying mental habit. Episode Links Raising the Bar: The Brain Scientist Who Studies the Past to Predict the Future Think Less, Think Better by Moshe Bar Karl Popper Jon Kabat-Zinn Reculturing by Melissa Daimler The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.