Not All Mind Wandering is Created Equal: Dissociating Deliberate from Spontaneous Mind Wandering

Overview

Journal Psychol Res

Specialty Psychology

Date 2014 Oct 7

PMID 25284016

Citations 61

Authors

Paul Seli

Jonathan S A Carriere

Daniel Smilek

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In two large samples we show a dissociation between trait-level tendencies to mind-wander spontaneously (unintentionally) and deliberately (intentionally). Participants completed online versions of the Mind Wandering Spontaneous (MW-S) and the Mind Wandering Deliberate (MW-D) self-report scales and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). The results revealed that deliberate and spontaneous mind wandering were uniquely associated with some factors of the FFMQ. Notably, while the MW-D and the MW-S were positively associated with each other, the MW-D was uniquely positively associated with the 'Non-Reactivity to Inner Experience' factor of the FFMQ, whereas the MW-S was uniquely negatively associated with this factor. We also showed that conflating deliberate and spontaneous mind wandering can result in a misunderstanding of how mind wandering is related to other traits. We recommend that studies assessing individual differences in mind wandering should distinguish between deliberate and spontaneous subtypes of mind wandering to avoid possibly erroneous conclusions.

Citing Articles

Resting-state BOLD temporal variability of the default mode network predicts spontaneous mind wandering, which is negatively associated with mindfulness skills.

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Exploring the optimal factor structure of mind-wandering: Associations with neuroticism.

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The mind wanders to dark places: Mind-wandering catalyzes rumination in the context of negative affect and impulsivity.

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Mind wandering in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Preliminary evaluation using the Mind Excessively Wandering Scale in a Japanese clinical population.

Hayashi W, Tomita A, Iwanami A PCN Rep. 2024; 1(2):e19.

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