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It’s normal for your mind to wander. Here’s how to maximise the benefits

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-anchal-garg-1491247">Dr Anchal Garg</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-watt-1486350">Bruce Watt</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> Have you ever found yourself thinking about loved ones during a boring meeting? Or going over the plot of a movie you recently watched during a drive to the supermarket? This is the cognitive phenomenon known as “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2011.01.002">mind wandering</a>”. Research suggests it can account for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044423">up to 50%</a> of our waking cognition (our mental processes when awake) in both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1192439">western and non-western societies</a>. So what can help make this time productive and beneficial? <h2>Mind wandering is not daydreaming</h2> Mind wandering is often used interchangeably with daydreaming. They are both considered types of inattention but are not the same thing. Mind wandering is related to a primary task, such as reading a book, listening to a lecture, or attending a meeting. The mind <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00560/full">withdraws</a> from that task and focuses on internally generated, unrelated thoughts. On the other hand, daydreaming does not involve a primary, active task. For example, daydreaming would be thinking about an ex-partner while travelling on a bus and gazing out the window. Or lying in bed and thinking about what it might be like to go on a holiday overseas. If you were driving the bus or making the bed and your thoughts diverted from the primary task, this would be classed as mind wandering. <h2>The benefits of mind wandering</h2> Mind wandering is believed to play an important role in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612446024">generating new ideas</a>, conclusions or insights (also known as “aha! moments”). This is because it can give your mind a break and free it up to think more creatively. This type of creativity does not always have to be related to creative pursuits (such as writing a song or making an artwork). It could include a new way to approach a university or school assignment or a project at work. Another benefit of mind wandering is relief from boredom, providing the opportunity to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031569">mentally retreat</a> from a monotonous task. For example, someone who does not enjoy washing dishes could think about their upcoming weekend plans while doing the chore. In this instance, mind wandering assists in “passing the time” during an uninteresting task. Mind wandering also tends to be future-oriented. This can provide an opportunity to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2011.08.007">reflect upon and plan</a> future goals, big or small. For example, what steps do I need to take to get a job after graduation? Or, what am I going to make for dinner tomorrow? <h2>What are the risks?</h2> Mind wandering is not always beneficial, however. It can mean you miss out on crucial information. For example, there could be disruptions in learning if a student engages in mind wandering during a lesson that covers exam details. Or an important building block for learning. Some tasks also require a lot of concentration in order to be safe. If you’re thinking about a recent argument with a partner while driving, you run the risk of having an accident. That being said, it can be more difficult for some people to control their mind wandering. For example, mind wandering is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112901">more prevalent</a> in people with ADHD. <h2>What can you do to maximise the benefits?</h2> There are several things you can do to maximise the benefits of mind wandering. <ul> <li>be aware: awareness of mind wandering allows you to take note of and make use of any productive thoughts. Alternatively, if it is not a good time to mind wander it can help bring your attention back to the task at hand</li> </ul> <ul> <li> context matters: try to keep mind wandering to non-demanding tasks rather than demanding tasks. Otherwise, mind wandering <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00441">could be unproductive</a> or unsafe. For example, try think about that big presentation during a car wash rather than when driving to and from the car wash </li> <li> content matters: if possible, try to keep the content positive. Research <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00900">has found</a>, keeping your thoughts more positive, specific and concrete (and less about “you”), is associated with better wellbeing. For example, thinking about tasks to meet upcoming work deadlines could be more productive than ruminating about how you felt stressed or failed to meet past deadlines.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219490/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> </li> </ul> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dr-anchal-garg-1491247">Dr Anchal Garg</a>, Psychology researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bruce-watt-1486350">Bruce Watt</a>, Associate Professor in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-normal-for-your-mind-to-wander-heres-how-to-maximise-the-benefits-219490">original article</a>.

Mind

The benefits of boredom

Back in 1973 – when the internet, on-demand TV and games consoles were still the stuff of science fiction – the BBC launched a new show to keep kids entertained during the school holidays. Its not-so-snappy full title? Why Don’t You Just Switch Off Your Television Set And Go And Do Something Less Boring Instead? Children attempted to inspire their peers to try out various activities, such as creating portraits out of staples or rustling up some mini ham and cheese sandwiches. Nowadays, in the age of round-the-clock entertainment, it’s (technically) trickier to be bored. If the show you’re watching has lost its spark, you can select an instant high-octane alternative or amuse yourself by scrolling through social media without even leaving the sofa. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Feeling disengaged from the task in hand – or simply devoid of stimulation – does have its benefits, according to researchers. Does boredom make us more creative? First and foremost, being bored motivates you to search out something less boring to do. Feeling bored at work, for example, could inspire you to explore a change of career. Or if you decide there’s nothing worth watching on TV, you might choose to switch off and make your own entertainment by taking up a new hobby. This, according to researchers at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK, can explain why the lockdowns of the past two years saw a surge in creativity among people stuck at home. From banana-bread-making to picking up a paintbrush for the first time since childhood, many of us realised there are only so many times you can watch Tiger King on Netflix before you need to find other ways to amuse yourself. But what about those times when you have no choice but to stick with the boring situation – carrying out a mundane task at work or waiting for a bus, for instance? The good news is that the boredom you’re feeling now could spark your creativity and help you come up with some of your best ideas, says a 2019 study published in the Academy of Management Discoveries journal. People who’d taken part in a boring bean-sorting task later performed better at coming up with creative ideas than another group who’d been given something more interesting to do first. What's the point of daydreaming? Without distractions such as social media and TV to quash those feelings of boredom, we may well fall back on that age-old failsafe: daydreaming. And, despite what parents and teachers may have told you when you were young, daydreaming is good for you. Letting your thoughts wander without the distractions of technology can be a useful way to “allow your mind to unwind, alleviate stress and solve problems, boosting your productivity and creativity in the process,” writes the University of Central Lancashire’s Dr Sandi Mann. In fact, if you find it difficult to stop your mind from straying during boring meetings or tasks, it could be a result of your impressive brain capacity, says a 2019 study from the Georgia Institute of Technology. People who reported more frequent daydreaming scored higher on intellectual and creative ability and had more efficient brains. Put simply, some people seem better equipped than others to focus on more than one thing at a time. Likewise, doodling during a tedious meeting or call can provide just the right amount of stimulation to help you stay alert and pay attention, University of Plymouth researchers have found. People who doodled while listening to a dull, rambling voicemail message were better able to recall details from the call than those who’d simply sat and listened. Are we more easily bored nowadays? Still, why daydream at the bus stop when you can simply scroll through your phone like everyone else? For starters, spending every spare moment staring at a screen can have a well-documented negative effect on your mental wellbeing, sleep quality and eyesight. But that’s not all: over time, it reduces your boredom tolerance levels and means you become less able to think creatively, problem-solve and simply notice what’s going on around you. Ultimately, if we take it for granted that there’ll always be something close at hand to entertain us, we start to lose the ability to entertain others, think creatively and allow our minds to switch off and relax. We stop coming up with new ideas and we’re less motivated to find ways to do something less boring instead. Whisper it: we run the risk of becoming boring ourselves. Written by Jane Murphy. This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/the-benefits-of-boredom" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Image: Getty Images <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Mind

What is daydreaming?

Our attention is a powerful lens, allowing our brains to pick out the relevant details out of the overwhelming flow of information reaching us every second. However, scientists <a rel="noopener" href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/330/6006/932" target="_blank">estimate</a> we spend up to half our waking lives thinking about something other than the task at hand: our minds are wandering. This is striking considering the potential negative consequences, from decreased school or work performance to tragic traffic accidents. We also know that mind-wandering and lapses of attention are more common when we are sleep-deprived, which suggests they may happen when the neurons in our brain start behaving in a way that resembles sleep. We tested the relationship between sleep and lapses of attention in new research published in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23890-7" target="_blank">Nature Communications</a>. By monitoring people’s brainwaves against their self-reported states of attention, we found that mind-wandering seems to happen when parts of the brain fall asleep while most of it remains awake. Parts of the brain can sleep while you’re awake Directing our attention inwards can be very useful. It can let us focus on our inner thoughts, manipulate abstract concepts, retrieve memories, or discover creative solutions. But the ideal balance between focusing on the outer and inner worlds is hard to strike, and our ability to stay focused on a given task is surprisingly limited. When we get tired, our control of attention goes awry. At the same time, our brains starts showing local activity that resembles sleep while most of the brain appears clearly awake. This phenomenon, known as “local sleep”, was first seen in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10009" target="_blank">sleep-deprived animals</a> and then <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2019.00949/full" target="_blank">in humans</a>. We wanted to investigate whether local sleep might also happen in well-rested people, and whether it could trigger shifts in attention. Wandering minds and blank minds <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409046/original/file-20210630-15-7nbvoo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/409046/original/file-20210630-15-7nbvoo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> The Sustained Attention to Response Tasks (SARTs) in the experiment asked participants to view a stream of either faces or digits, and press a button if the face was smiling or the digit was a 3. At the same time, their brainwaves were recorded and they were asked at random intervals about whether they were paying attention. (<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23890-7" target="_blank" class="source">Andrillon et al, Nature Communications (2021)</a>, Author provided). To better understand the relationship between brain activity and lapses of attention, we asked healthy young volunteers to perform a rather boring task requiring continuous attention. As anticipated, their attention frequently shifted away from the task. And when their attention lapsed, their performance decreased. But we also wanted to know what exactly was going through their minds when their attention was not on the task. So we interrupted them at random intervals and asked them what they were thinking about at that moment. Participants could indicate whether they were focusing on the task, their mind was wandering (thinking about something other than the task), or their mind was blank (not thinking about anything at all). In parallel, we recorded their brain activity with an electroencephalogram, which consists of a set of sensors placed on the head that can monitor the rhythms of the brain. Thanks to this non-invasive brain imaging technique, we could search for signs of sleep within wakefulness during the entire task. In particular we focused on “slow waves”, a hallmark of sleep involving brief silences from assemblies of neurons. Our hypothesis was that these lapses in neuron activity could explain lapses in attention. We found local slow waves could predict episodes of mind wandering and mind blanking as well as changes in participants’ behaviour during these lapses of attention. Importantly, the location of slow waves distinguished whether participants were mind wandering or blanking. When slow waves occurred in the front of the brain, participants had the tendency to be more impulsive and to mind wander. When slow waves occurred in the back of the brain, participants were more sluggish, missed responses and mind blanked. Sleep-like brainwaves predicts failure of attention These results can easily be understood through the concept of local sleep. If sleep-like slow waves really do correspond to local bouts of sleep in people who are otherwise awake, the effect of the slow waves should depend on where they occur in the brain and the function of those brain regions as we have found. This suggests that a single phenomenon – local sleep intrusions during waking hours – could explain a broad range of attentional lapses, from mind-wandering and impulsivity to “going blank” and sluggishness. Furthermore, our results suggest that local sleep might represent an everyday phenomenon that can affect us all, even if we are not particularly sleep-deprived. Our participants were simply going about the task at hand. Yet, without realising it, parts of their brains seemed to go offline repeatedly throughout the experiment. Local sleep and attentional deficits We are currently exploring whether this phenomenon of local sleep could be exacerbated in some individuals. For example, most people suffering from attentional deficits and/or hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) also report disrupted sleep. This may result in an increase in local sleep episodes during the day and could explain part of their attentional problems. Finally, this new study reaffirms how sleep and wakefulness can be intermingled in the human brain. It parallels <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468867319301889" target="_blank">studies</a> in sleep showing how the brain can locally “wake up” in order to process sensory information coming from the environment. Here, we show the opposite phenomenon and how sleep intrusions during wakefulness can make our minds wander somewhere or nowhere. <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-andrillon-138229" target="_blank">Thomas Andrillon</a>, Chercheur en neurosciences à l'ICM, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/inserm-2376" target="_blank">Inserm</a>; <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jennifer-windt-1153552" target="_blank">Jennifer Windt</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank">Monash University</a>, and <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/naotsugu-tsuchiya-1246282" target="_blank">Naotsugu Tsuchiya</a>, Professor, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-daydreaming-parts-of-the-brain-show-sleep-like-activity-when-your-mind-wanders-163642" target="_blank">original article</a>.

Mind

Are you a maladaptive daydreamer?

Most people daydream and can spend a lot of time doing it, with <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/330/6006/932">research suggesting</a> that as adults, we spend over 50 percent of our time conjuring up fantasies in our heads. Some people can even experience daydreams that are so vivid they can feel like they are in the imaginary environment of their creation. Though this is a commonplace ability, depending on the severity, frequency and other factors, some daydreamers may be experiencing a psychiatric condition called maladaptive daydreaming, or MD. Maladaptive daydreamers will feel compelled to switch to daydreams during the day, leading experts to believe it is a behavioural addiction much like any other. Since it is still an evolving area of research, it is yet to be formally recognised as a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, or <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm">DSM-5</a>. But, some experts believe it is a real disorder that can have a significant effect on a person’s daily life. What is maladaptive daydreaming? Though daydreams are a common and enjoyable experience, when the daydreaming interferes with a person’s social, academic, or professional life this is considered to be maladaptive, especially when human interactions are replaced with fantasy. However, maladaptive daydreamers also usually know that their daydreams are not reality and are still in touch with the real world in some way. Why does it occur? Though experts are unsure what causes MD, Professor Eli Somer, who <a href="https://www.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/2012-12-16-11-30-12/new-media/1754-our-researchers-discovered-a-new-psychological-disorder-maladaptive-daydreaming.html#:~:text=Our%20Researchers%20Discovered%20a%20New%20Psychological%20Disorder%3A%20Maladaptive%20Daydreaming,-A%20new%20psychological&text=%E2%80%9CDaydreaming%20usually%20starts%20as%20a,it%20takes%20over%20their%20lives.">first defined the phenomenon in 2002</a>, believed that it develops as a result of trauma, abuse or loneliness, acting as a coping mechanism that a person could use to escape from their reality. In his study, Somer identified six survivors of sexual assault who would regularly escape into an imaginary world they created and would fantasize about themselves in empowering storylines that were missing in their real lives. Symptoms In a 2011 review by Cynthia Schupak and Jayne Bigelson that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21959201/">studied 90 self-identifying maladaptive daydreamers who fantasize excessively</a>, they found several common behaviours. The researchers found that 79 percent of subjects reported physically engaging with their fantasies, such as making faces or performing repetitive movements while daydreaming. They also found that participants struggled against the compulsion to daydream and were concerned that their fantasies interfered with their real-life relationships. Additional symptoms can include: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Extremely vivid daydreams with an evolving or complex story, characters and other detailed story-like features</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Daydreams triggered by real-life events</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Daydreaming for lengthy periods, from many minutes to hours</li> </ul> Can I be diagnosed with maladaptive daydreaming? Since it is not currently recognised by the DSM, you cannot be formally diagnosed with maladaptive daydreaming. Experts have developed a diagnostic tool called the <a href="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S1053810015300611-mmc1.doc">Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale (MDS)</a> to help people determine whether they are experiencing symptoms of it. But, this should be treated as an indication rather than a formal diagnosis. Can maladaptive daydreaming be treated? There is no official treatment for MD. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19062309">One study</a> found that fluvoxamine, a common treatment for OCD, was effective in helping an individual control her daydreams. Experts believe cognitive behavioural therapy could help people manage their daily life and address their need to daydream. “Maladaptive daydreaming still isn’t an officially recognized condition, but it’s clear that people around the world are experiencing the same symptoms: the hypnotic movements, the plots and characters, and the crippling inability to focus on the real world. As a researcher, I hope to find out much more about this condition and help the medical profession learn to address it,” Bigelsen said.

Mind

Turn your dream into reality at Daydream Island Resort

Dust off the suitcase and prepare to hit the beach. Daydream Island Resort is ready to reopen in 2019 following an extensive $100 million renovation. The hugely popular Great Barrier Reef resort closed in 2017 after it sustained severe damage in Cyclone Debbie. Two years of renovations have meant that Daydream Island is now bigger and better than ever before. “The re-opening of Daydream Island is a huge milestone after the devastation caused by Cyclone Debbie,” Jayson Heron, Daydream Island’s director of sales and marketing says. “It will have been a two-year journey and we are excited to welcome our loyal regulars and new guests to the island to experience the new premium offering.” The restaurants Daydream Island Resort will have three restaurants: Graze Interactive Dining, Infinity and Inkstone Kitchen and Bar. No matter which restaurant you choose – expect seasonal fresh local produce. Daydream has hired executive chef, Bradley Martin, formerly of Taumeasina Island Resort in Samoa to lead the resort’s premium dining destinations. Through simple, yet creative menus Mr Martin plans to showcase local produce and flavours. “I have been meeting local farmers and producers in the Whitsundays region and am excited by the quality of food that surrounds us,” he says. “My food is prepared with love and respect and my menus will show this through simple yet modern dishes.” Graze Interactive Dining, off the main lobby, will serve a modern buffet for breakfast and dinner. It looks and feels like paradise. In keeping with the tropical surrounds, huge baskets of plants are scattered across the rooftop, dangling ferns above diners. Huge glass windows overlook the pool. The first-floor Infinity restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and has expansive views over the Whitsundays. Infinity has a private Teppanyaki Suite for an unforgettable dining experience. Inkstone Kitchen and Bar will showcase modern Australia dishes. If you book a deluxe room or suite – this is your breakfast spot. All other guests can enter for lunch and dinner. Daydream Island now has three bars – Barefoot Bar, Tonic and Silica – where guests can quench their thirst. The rooms The newly premium resort will have 277 rooms, including interconnecting rooms, suites and special access rooms “Our deluxe rooms offer the perfect sanctuary for over 50s guests, with large east-facing terraces, king bed, lounge and coffee tables, they are a gorgeous retreat post a day in the sun,” Mr Heron says. Daydream Island also has more than 40 sets of interconnecting rooms and suites for families, making it a great resort for multi-generation getaways. These rooms will be poolside on the ground floor or on level one with pool or ocean views. “The majority are Superior King Room & Twin (2 Queen Beds) combined, but the resort also has options for three, four and even five rooms to be connected together for larger families, groups of friends or multi-generational families,” Mr Heron says. The pool When it opens, Daydream Island Resort will have a revitalised pool landscape which winds through tropical gardens and under bridges. From the sun lounges, you can expect to have unparalleled views over the Whitsundays. The poolside bar will serve gourmet burgers, sliders, pork ribs and chicken wings as well as smooth tropical cocktails, draught beer or wine. Want to indulge? Try a scoop of ice-cream from the Movenpick Ice Cream Bar. The Living Reef One of the best things about Daydream Island was the resort’s “living reef” and we’re delighted that it is back. The free-form coral lagoon wraps around the central hotel building. It will hold 1.5 million litres of water and meander for 200m. Keep your eyes peeled for seastars, sea cucumbers and crabs – they are all in there. Getting there Daydream Island Resort is one of seven islands of the Molle Group of the Whitsundays. Getting here is easy – with access from Queensland’s Airline Beach and Proserpine Airport. The island is small – just 1km in length and 400 m at its widest point. You can watch sunsets over the water and take walks around the island at sunrise. The highest point on the island is 51 metres above sea level. Grab a kayak and paddle all the way around the island after breakfast. Then flop down by the pool for the afternoon. Daydream Island is surrounded by reefs – offering a great chance from some gently snorkelling. Dive in and explore the marine world below. You will be able to see tropical fish, stingrays and the occasional turtle. The resort will also arrange tours out the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, where you can see the famous Heart of the Whitsundays and find Nemo hidden in the coral. Written by Alison Godfrey. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/daydream-island-resort/">My Discoveries</a>.

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It’s normal for your mind to wander. Here’s how to maximise the benefits

The benefits of boredom

What is daydreaming?

Are you a maladaptive daydreamer?

Turn your dream into reality at Daydream Island Resort

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It’s normal for your mind to wander. Here’s how to maximise the benefits

The benefits of boredom

What is daydreaming?

Are you a maladaptive daydreamer?

Turn your dream into reality at Daydream Island Resort

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