11/11/14
The Benefits of Zoning Out
Here's some good news for a lazy Tuesday afternoon. The Science of Us is looking into the phenomenon of spacing out, daydreaming and letting your mind wander. Turns out it's not such a bad thing. In fact, there are some benefits to ignoring all the chatter about 'mindfulness' and the cult of productivity—at least for a little bit. You've no doubt experienced a shot of brilliance in the shower and this is why. The mind wanders when you're doing something kind of mundane and unchallenging—even scrolling through your Twitter feed counts, apparently.
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Most of the studies on mind-wandering have characterized it in a negative light, often as a failure of cognitive control ... And yet we're doing it about 50 percent of the time. When our minds wander, they tend to be pulled to the consideration of unresolved issues, or to the planning of future goals. And it's during that spaced-out state that creative insight happens.”
Meditate Like a Marine
Improve your athletic ability, relieve your stress and sleep better by spending 12 to 15 minutes a day engaged in meditation.
