Search Results (69)

This study aimed to address the dearth of literature on mechanisms of effect of mindfulness-based interventions by investigating metacognitive beliefs as a potential mechanism of symptomology-reduction effects. The Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS) component of the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model was augmented to include subtypes of mind wandering and rumination. One hundred and seventy-eight participants sourced from professional networks (M_age = 53.13; SD = 11.80) completed an online questionnaire measuring dispositional mindfulness, metacognitive beliefs, rumination, mind wandering, worry, anxiety and depression. Effects of meditation frequency on these variables were examined, as were the relationships between them. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly negatively correlated with metacognitive beliefs, which were positively correlated with worry, mind wandering and rumination, all of which were positively correlated with symptomology. Significant correlations were stronger for spontaneous mind wandering and brooding rumination than their counterparts. Those reporting a daily meditation practice scored significantly higher on three of the five facets of mindfulness and significantly lower on anxiety and depression symptomology and several CAS elements than those who rarely meditated. Changes in metacognitive beliefs are a potential pathway for MBI-driven reductions in anxiety and depression symptomology. Increases in dispositional mindfulness through MBIs are likely to reduce metacognitive beliefs, which reduce maladaptive processes of the CAS, flowing on to reductions in symptomology. A daily meditation practice appears to increase the efficacy of this mechanism. Subtypes of mind wandering and rumination differ in their contribution to this pathway, perhaps more accurately represented as extremes on their respective continua rather than the current categorical model of typologies measured independently. Full article

Background/Objectives: The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the etiopathogenesis and maintenance of Bipolar Disorder (BD) should be a priority to identify potential early clinical markers that could help in improving treatment strategies and prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential correlation between hopelessness, alexithymia, mind wandering, and rumination in patients with a primary diagnosis of BD, evaluating whether these psychopathological aspects could negatively affect bipolar illness. Methods: A semi-structured interview was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Several psychometric tools were administered: the Beck Hopelessness Scale; Toronto Alexithymia Scale; Rumination Response Scale; Mind Wandering Questionnaire; Mind Wandering: Deliberate; Mind Wandering: Spontaneous; and the Daydreaming Frequency Scale. Results: Patients with high levels of hopelessness have a greater number of psychiatric and medical comorbidities and are more frequently on polypharmacotherapy. Additionally, patients with high levels of hopelessness show a greater likelihood of having attempted suicide during their lifetime. The presence of alexithymia is associated with longer hospitalization and psychiatric comorbidities. Higher levels of rumination correlate with a greater number of psychiatric and medical comorbidities, and with the presence of residual symptoms. Mind wandering is associated with the presence of medical comorbidities and residual symptoms. Conclusions: Hopelessness, alexithymia, mind wandering, and rumination should be identified as important proxies of impaired subjective well-being that should be carefully monitored because they could further worsen the clinical course of BD and suicidal risk in this vulnerable population. Full article

Background/Objectives. While mind wandering has often been linked to negative outcomes, some research suggests it has potential benefits for creativity, particularly through incubation. However, two critical gaps remain: limited understanding of mind wandering’s effects on creative performance and lack of comparative research examining its impact on both divergent and convergent thinking. The study addressed these gaps by comparing the effects of two types of mind wandering (i.e., with and without awareness) on both types of creative thinking, using repeated and novel problems post-incubation to isolate effects. Methods. Eighty-five participants completed divergent (Unusual Uses Task, UUT) and convergent (Compound Remote Associate Task, CRA) thinking tasks, interspersed with a 0-back incubation task. Thought probes measured mind wandering frequency and awareness. Performance was assessed for fluency and originality (UUT) and accuracy (CRA), with problems categorised by difficulty. Results. Results revealed no significant effects of mind wandering on divergent thinking, though incubation improved fluency, particularly for repeated items. For convergent thinking, mind wandering with awareness enhanced performance on low-difficulty repeated items, while mind wandering without awareness hindered novel moderate-difficulty items. Divergent and convergent performance showed no correlation, suggesting distinct cognitive demands. Conclusions. The findings provide evidence that mind wandering’s impact on creativity is limited and context-dependent, with conscious reflection during incubation more beneficial than uncontrolled drifting. Differences in task demands and difficulty levels further modulate these effects. Future research should explore naturalistic settings and use of incubation tasks that do not compete for cognitive resources with the core task to better understand incubation and mind wandering’s roles in creativity. Full article

While morningness (a preference for rising earlier in the day) is associated with positive affect and life satisfaction, eveningness is correlated with negative emotionality, poor sleep, less self-control, and more procrastination. The current study investigated inter-relationships between morningness–eveningness; bedtime, academic, and exercise procrastination; mind wandering; sleep quality; self-control; and depressive symptoms. An online survey including questionnaire measures of these variables was completed by 306 university students (aged 18–51 years; mean = 20.36, SD = 4.001; 34 male). Morningness correlated with more self-control and better sleep quality—eveningness correlated with more bedtime, academic, and exercise procrastination; depressive symptoms; and mind wandering. All forms of procrastination negatively correlated with self-control and sleep quality, and positively correlated with depressive symptoms and mind wandering, although more strongly with spontaneous than deliberate mind wandering. Mediation effects were found—bedtime procrastination (BP) between eveningness and spontaneous mind wandering (MW); spontaneous MW between BP and sleep quality; sleep quality between BP and depressive symptoms; self-control between depressive symptoms and academic procrastination. A path model of these inter-relationships was developed. This study adds to a growing body of research indicating that interventions to reduce bedtime procrastination may bring about improvements in wellbeing and academic achievement. Full article

The electroencephalography (EEG)-based approach provides a promising low-cost and non-invasive approach to the early detection of pathological cognitive decline. However, current studies predominantly utilize EEGs from resting state (rsEEG) or task-state (task EEG), posing challenges to classification performances due to the unconstrainted nature of mind wandering during resting state or the inherent inter-participant variability from task execution. To address these limitations, this study proposes a novel feature extraction framework, working memory task-induced EEG response (WM-TIER), which adjusts task EEG features by rsEEG features and leverages the often-overlooked inter-state changes of EEGs. We recorded EEGs from 21 AD individuals, 24 MCI individuals, and 27 healthy controls (HC) during both resting and working memory task conditions. We then compared the classification performance of WM-TIER to the conventional rsEEG or task EEG framework. For each framework, three feature types were examined: relative power, spectral coherence, and filter-bank phase lag index (FB-PLI). Our results indicated that FB-PLI-based WM-TIER features provide (1) better AD/MCI versus HC classification accuracy than rsEEG and task EEG frameworks and (2) high accuracy for three-class classification of AD vs. MCI vs. HC. These findings suggest that the EEG-based rest-to-task state transition can be an effective neural marker for the early detection of pathological cognitive decline. Full article

Music has been shown to increase arousal and attention and even facilitate processing during non-musical tasks, including those related to speech and language functions. Mind wandering has been studied in many sustained attention tasks. Here, we investigated the intersection of these two phenomena: the role of mind wandering while listening to familiar/unfamiliar musical excerpts, and its effects on concurrent linguistic processing. We hypothesized that familiar music would be less distracting than unfamiliar music, causing less mind wandering, and consequently benefit concurrent speech perception. Participants (N = 96 young adults) performed a lexical-semantic congruity task where they judged the relatedness of visually presented word pairs while listening to non-vocal classical music (familiar or unfamiliar orchestral pieces), or a non-music environmental sound clip (control) played in the background. Mind wandering episodes were probed intermittently during the task by explicitly asking listeners if their mind was wandering in that moment. The primary outcome was accuracy and reactions times measured during the lexical-semantic judgment task across the three background music conditions (familiar, unfamiliar, and control). We found that listening to familiar music, relative to unfamiliar music or environmental noise, was associated with faster lexical-semantic decisions and a lower incidence of mind wandering. Mind wandering frequency was similar when performing the task when listening to familiar music and control environmental sounds. We infer that familiar music increases task enjoyment, reduces mind wandering, and promotes more rapid lexical access during concurrent lexical processing, by modulating task-related attentional resources. The implications of using music as an aid during academic study and cognitive tasks are discussed. Full article

The Thoughtseeds Framework introduces a novel computational approach to modeling thought dynamics in meditative states, conceptualizing thoughtseeds as dynamic attentional agents that integrate information. This hierarchical model, structured as nested Markov blankets, comprises three interconnected levels: (i) knowledge domains as information repositories, (ii) the Thoughtseed Network where thoughtseeds compete, and (iii) meta-cognition regulating awareness. It simulates focused-attention Vipassana meditation via rule-based training informed by empirical neuroscience research on attentional stability and neural dynamics. Four states—breath_control, mind_wandering, meta_awareness, and redirect_breath—emerge organically from thoughtseed interactions, demonstrating self-organizing dynamics. Results indicate that experts sustain control dominance to reinforce focused attention, while novices exhibit frequent, prolonged mind_wandering episodes, reflecting beginner instability. Integrating Global Workspace Theory and the Intrinsic Ignition Framework, the model elucidates how thoughtseeds shape a unitary meditative experience through meta-awareness, balancing epistemic and pragmatic affordances via active inference. Synthesizing computational modeling with phenomenological insights, it provides an embodied perspective on cognitive state emergence and transitions, offering testable predictions about meditation skill development. The framework yields insights into attention regulation, meta-cognitive awareness, and meditation state emergence, establishing a versatile foundation for future research into diverse meditation practices (e.g., Open Monitoring, Non-Dual Awareness), cognitive development across the lifespan, and clinical applications in mindfulness-based interventions for attention disorders, advancing our understanding of the nature of mind and thought. Full article

Three studies investigated the effects of photo and note taking on memory for lecture content in in-person and online environments. Participants watched slideshow lecture videos and were instructed to only watch, take photos, take notes, or simultaneously take both photos and notes of the information on the slides. Memory for on-slide and only said information was tested using fill-in-the-blank questions. Experiment 1, conducted in-person, found a significant photo-taking impairment and an interaction for on-slide information such that there was a larger impairment when participants took both photos and notes compared to when they only took notes. Experiment 2 failed to replicate this interaction; there was an overall photo-taking impairment for on-slide information in an in-person learning environment. We additionally examined mind wandering as a potential mechanism driving these effects but found that it does not provide a sufficient explanation for our results. Experiment 3 used a design similar to Experiments 1 and 2 in an online environment and found a photo-taking benefit for on-slide information. Our results suggest that, in in-person classes, photo taking likely impairs learning, but, in online classes, photo taking may not be as harmful. Participants showed a note taking benefit in Experiments 2 and 3 across both class modalities. Full article

Mind wandering is a common issue among schoolchildren and academic students, often undermining the quality of learning and teaching effectiveness. Current detection methods mainly rely on eye trackers and electrodermal activity (EDA) sensors, focusing on external indicators such as facial movements but neglecting voice detection. These methods are often cumbersome, uncomfortable for participants, and invasive, requiring specialized, expensive equipment that disrupts the natural learning environment. To overcome these challenges, a new algorithm has been developed to detect mind wandering during reading aloud. Based on external indicators like the blink rate, pitch frequency, and reading rate, the algorithm integrates these three criteria to ensure the accurate detection of mind wandering using only a standard computer camera and microphone, making it easy to implement and widely accessible. An experiment with ten participants validated this approach. Participants read aloud a text of 1304 words while the algorithm, incorporating the Viola–Jones model for face and eye detection and pitch-frequency analysis, monitored for signs of mind wandering. A voice activity detection (VAD) technique was also used to recognize human speech. The algorithm achieved 76% accuracy in predicting mind wandering during specific text segments, demonstrating the feasibility of using noninvasive physiological indicators. This method offers a practical, non-intrusive solution for detecting mind wandering through video and audio data, making it suitable for educational settings. Its ability to integrate seamlessly into classrooms holds promise for enhancing student concentration, improving the teacher–student dynamic, and boosting overall teaching effectiveness. By leveraging standard, accessible technology, this approach could pave the way for more personalized, technology-enhanced education systems. Full article

(1) Background: Meditation, originally stemming from the Buddhist tradition, has been the subject of extensive psychological research, with a growing body of literature exploring its effects on various mental and physical health aspects. (2) Methods: This article consists of two studies conducted in two Vietnamese Buddhist Monasteries. Study 1 investigated brain activity during Zen meditation among monks and nuns (N = 16) and a control group of non-practitioners (N = 3). Study 2, conducted on nuns (N = 13), explored the effects of meditation experience and essential oil inhalation on brainwave activity, with two measurements taken during short meditation sessions separated by inhalation. (3) Results: Study 1 showed that monks had higher alpha and theta activity during meditation compared to non-meditators. Moreover, advanced practitioners could transition from beta waves during mind-wandering to alpha waves within short 5-min sessions, indicating their ability to dynamically regulate brain activity even in brief meditative states. Study 2 found no significant differences between nuns with varying meditation experiences but revealed a significant decrease in theta wave amplitude after inhalation. (4) Conclusions: Together, these studies deepen our understanding of neural activity in advanced meditation. Full article

Curiosity, a crucial trigger of exploration and learning, has been described as the antithesis of mind wandering, a state of non-engagement with the external environment or a given task. Findings have confirmed that music’s structure influences levels of curiosity in listeners as they listen and, as such, suggests that this context could be useful in examining the relationship between curiosity and mind wandering. Here, participants were exposed to extended melodies twice, during which they carried out two counterbalanced tasks: one requiring them, whenever probed, to indicate whether they had been mind wandering at that moment and the other requiring them to indicate, when probed, how curious they were feeling about the music at that moment. Critically, participants were probed at the exact same moments in the music when completing the two tasks, allowing the relationship between curiosity and mind wandering to be examined. Results confirmed our prediction of a negative relationship between curiosity and mind wandering, while exploratory analysis further suggested an influence of expertise and the music’s information dynamics on patterns of mind wandering. We discuss the implications of our study for understanding music as an exploration-affording sound environment and outline directions for future work. Full article

This paper delves into the connection between Zhuangzi’s mystical philosophy and its potential application to nonviolent resistance movements. It argues that the cultivation of inner peace, as advocated by Zhuangzi, can serve as a powerful foundation for individuals to engage in peaceful social change. Zhuangzi, a prominent figure in ancient Chinese thought, emphasized the importance of achieving harmony with Dao, the natural order of the universe. His mystical teachings centered on concepts like the “Pu 樸” (perfect natural state), “Xiao Yao You 逍遙遊” (Free and Easy Wandering) and “Qi Wu Lun 齊物論” (Equalizing Things and Equalizing Theory), as well as “Xin Zhai 心齋” (Fasting of the Mind) and “Zuo Wang 坐忘” (Sitting and Forgetting). This paper explores how these mystical concepts can be interpreted as a call for inner peace and tranquility. The paper then examines how inner peace, as envisioned by Zhuangzi, can empower individuals to participate in nonviolent resistance. It suggests that achieving inner peace allows individuals to transcend feelings of anger, resentment, and violence, fostering a sense of compassion and understanding towards their opponents. This inner peace, in turn, can fuel the courage and determination necessary to engage in peaceful protests and civil disobedience. By exploring the connection between Zhuangzi’s mysticism and nonviolent resistance, this paper aims to shed light on an alternative approach to social change. It argues that inner peace, cultivated through mystical experience, can be a powerful tool for individuals seeking to create a more just and peaceful world. Full article

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that mind wandering during incubation phases enhances post-incubation creative performance. Recent empirical evidence, however, has highlighted a specific form of mind wandering closely related to creativity, termed freely moving mind wandering (FMMW). In this study, we examined the behavioral and neural associations between FMMW and creativity. Methods: We initially validated a questionnaire measuring FMMW by comparing its results with those from the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). Data were collected from 1316 participants who completed resting-state fMRI scans, the FMMW questionnaire, and creative tasks. Correlation analysis and Bayes factors indicated that FMMW was associated with creative thinking (AUT). To elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between FMMW and creativity, Hidden Markov Models (HMM) were employed to analyze the temporal dynamics of the resting-state fMRI data. Results: Our findings indicated that brain dynamics associated with FMMW involve integration within multiple networks and between networks (r = −0.11, p_FDR < 0.05). The links between brain dynamics associated with FMMW and creativity were mediated by FMMW (c’ = 0.01, [−0.0181, −0.0029]). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the relationship between FMMW and creativity, offering insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning this relationship. Full article

Drawing on self-regulatory strength models of self-control, this research examined the relationship between burnout and attentional processes for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students. Using data from participants in STEM, burnout was found to be associated with higher levels of off-task thinking, also known as mind-wandering. Further, self-control acted as a mediator in the relationship between burnout and mind-wandering such that higher levels of burnout predicted poor self-control that subsequently increased the mind’s tendency to wander. Additionally, mindfulness buffered the relationship between burnout and mind-wandering such that burnout had the most detrimental impact on attention for those students who were low in mindfulness. Using the Johnson-Neyman approach, results reveal the upper limits for the moderating impact of mindfulness. Results and implications for science and practice are discussed with a special grounding for students in the STEM context. Full article

One key aspect of the human experience is our ongoing stream of thoughts. These thoughts can be broadly categorized into various dimensions, which are associated with different impacts on mood, well-being, and productivity. While the past literature has often identified eye movements associated with a specific thought dimension (task-relatedness) during experimental tasks, few studies have determined if these various thought dimensions can be classified by oculomotor activity during naturalistic tasks. Employing thought sampling, eye tracking, and machine learning, we assessed the classification of nine thought dimensions (task-relatedness, freely moving, stickiness, goal-directedness, internal–external orientation, self-orientation, others orientation, visual modality, and auditory modality) across seven multi-day recordings of seven participants during self-selected computer tasks. Our analyses were based on a total of 1715 thought probes across 63 h of recordings. Automated binary-class classification of the thought dimensions was based on statistical features extracted from eye movement measures, including fixation and saccades. These features all served as input into a random forest (RF) classifier, which was then improved with particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based selection of the best subset of features for classifier performance. The mean Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) values from the PSO-based RF classifier across the thought dimensions ranged from 0.25 to 0.54, indicating above-chance level performance in all nine thought dimensions across participants and improved performance compared to the RF classifier without feature selection. Our findings highlight the potential of machine learning approaches combined with eye movement measures for the real-time prediction of naturalistic ongoing thoughts, particularly in ecologically valid contexts. Full article