Study: Letting the mind wander activates its problem-solving parts
Got a tough problem to solve? Try daydreaming.
Contrary to the notion that daydreaming is a sign of laziness, letting the mind wander can actually let the parts of the brain associated with problem-solving become active, a new study finds.
Kalina Christoff of the University of British Columbia in Canada and her colleagues placed study participants inside an fMRI scanner, where they performed the simple routine task of pushing a button when numbers appear on a screen. The researchers tracked subjects’ attentiveness moment-to-moment through brain scans, subjective reports from subjects and by tracking their performance on the task.
Until now, scientists had thought that the brain’s “default network,” which is linked to easy, routine mental activity, was the only part of the brain that remains active when the mind wanders. But in the study subjects, the brain’s “executive network” — associated with high-level, complex problem-solving — also lit up.
The less subjects were aware that their mind was wandering, the more both networks were activated.
“This study shows our brains are very active when we daydream — much more active than when we focus on routine tasks,” Christoff said.
I wish I could change batteries in my daughter’s toys this fast. I am not completely sold on the idea, but it is an impressive video to watch (follow the link at the end – the batter is automatically changed out in a bit more than a minute).