Kalina Christoff, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of British Columbia.
Mind-wandering has recently come to occupy a central position in psychology and neuroscience. Most theories and research so far have defined it as task-unrelated or stimulus-independent thought. As such, mind-wandering is often seen as the opposite of mindfulness or concentration. I will argue, however, that this view of mind-wandering is mistaken and that it limits our ability to understand this ubiquitous and, in my view, default mode of human thought. In contrast to the task-unrelated view of mind-wandering, I will argue that a defining feature of mind-wandering lies in its dynamics: i.e., the manner in which thoughts emerge and unfold over time. I will introduce our recent dynamic framework for understanding mind-wandering and its neural basis. Within this framework, mind-wandering can be understood as a member of a larger family of spontaneous thought processes – a family that also includes creative thought and dreaming. I will distinguish between two types of constraints on thought – deliberate and automatic – that can reduce thought’s spontaneity. This novel perspective on spontaneous thought and mind-wandering bears significant implications for phenomenology and meditation practice. Rather than viewing mind-wandering as antithetical and a hindrance to mindfulness practice, it becomes clear that thoughts that arises relatively freely are an essential component of practices such as open monitoring meditation. Indeed, meditation practices may have emerged in part to help us come to terms with our default mode of spontaneous thought production.
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