The Science of Mind Wandering

It is the mind's nature to wander.  Anyone who has practiced mindfulness meditation has no doubt quickly realized this truth. According to some studies, as much as 50% of our waking hours are spent in some form of mind-wandering. And though the practice of mindfulness encourages a returning of the wandering mind to the original object of attention, research is beginning to explore the nature of mind wandering and the costs and benefits it has in store for us.

In an overview on research into mind-wandering was published in the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, Jonathan Schooler and Benjamin Mooneyham, of the University of California at Santa Barbara, discuss the costs involved with mind-wandering and how it affects performance on different cognitive tasks. They also assess the potential benefits of mind-wandering.