Brain study suggests mind wandering at work and home may not be
as bad as you might think
Georgia Institute of Technology
A new study from the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests
that daydreaming during meetings isn't necessarily a bad thing. It might be a
sign that you're really smart and creative.
"People
with efficient brains may have too much brain capacity to stop their minds from
wandering," said Eric Schumacher, the Georgia Tech associate psychology
professor who co-authored the study.
Schumacher
and his students and colleagues, including lead co-author Christine Godwin,
measured the brain patterns of more than 100 people while they lay in an MRI
machine. Participants were instructed to focus on a stationary fixation point
for five minutes. The Georgia Tech team used the data to identify which parts
of the brain worked in unison.
"The correlated brain regions gave us insight about which areas of the brain work together during an awake, resting state," said Godwin, a Georgia Tech psychology Ph.D. candidate.
"Interestingly,
research has suggested that these same brain patterns measured during these
states are related to different cognitive abilities."
Once
they figured out how the brain works together at rest, the team compared the
data with tests the participants that measured their intellectual and creative
ability. Participants also filled out a questionnaire about how much their mind
wandered in daily life.
Those
who reported more frequent daydreaming scored higher on intellectual and
creative ability and had more efficient brain systems measured in the MRI
machine.
"People
tend to think of mind wandering as something that is bad. You try to pay
attention and you can't," said Schumacher. "Our data are consistent
with the idea that this isn't always true. Some people have more efficient
brains."
Schumacher
says higher efficiency means more capacity to think, and the brain may mind
wander when performing easy tasks.
How
can you tell if your brain is efficient? One clue is that you can zone in and
out of conversations or tasks when appropriate, then naturally tune back in
without missing important points or steps.
"Our
findings remind me of the absent-minded professor -- someone who's brilliant,
but off in his or her own world, sometimes oblivious to their own
surroundings," said Schumacher. "Or school children who are too
intellectually advanced for their classes. While it may take five minutes for
their friends to learn something new, they figure it out in a minute, then
check out and start daydreaming."
Godwin
and Schumacher think the findings open the door for follow-up research to
further understand when mind wandering is harmful, and when it may actually be
helpful.
"There
are important individual differences to consider as well, such as a person's
motivation or intent to stay focused on a particular task," said Godwin.
