mind-wandering
Thoughts going astray
Mind-wandering is the drift of attention away from a task toward unrelated thoughts.
It happens when you're reading and realize you've absorbed nothing for the last two pages, or when a meeting loses you to daydreams.
Psychologists study mind-wandering as both a failure of focus and a source of creativity.
My mind-wandering during the lecture meant I missed the assignment details.
Idle mental wandering
- distractionThing diverting one's attention
- inattentionLack of focus
- zoning outLosing conscious attention temporarily
- unfocusedWithout clear direction
drifting · spacing out · wool-gathering · reverie · autopilot · disengagement · attention lapse · default mode
State of perceiving reality
- present momentCurrent point in time
- meditationFocused attention practice
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
self-reflection · inner dialogue · metacognition · detachment · letting go · non-judgment · grounding · centering
Faculty for forming ideas
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
- ideationForming mental concepts
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
creative thinking · incubation · inspiration · eureka moment · mental exploration · idea generation · problem-solving · inventiveness
Brain regions active at rest
- prefrontal cortexBrain's planning and impulse center
- fMRIMagnetic neural activity imaging
- brain activityMental processes occurring
- neural pathwaysBrain's communication routes
connectivity · hippocampus · resting state · executive function · brain imaging
daydreaming
Idle mental wandering
- distractionThing diverting one's attention
- inattentionLack of focus
- zoning outLosing conscious attention temporarily
unfocused · drifting · spacing out · wool-gathering · reverie · autopilot · disengagement · attention lapse · default mode · losing focus
awareness
State of perceiving reality
- present momentCurrent point in time
- meditationFocused attention practice
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
contemplation · self-reflection · inner dialogue · metacognition · detachment · letting go · non-judgment · grounding · centering · mental stillness
imagination
Faculty for forming ideas
- brainstormingGenerating many ideas freely
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
- ideationForming mental concepts
insight · creative thinking · incubation · inspiration · eureka moment · mental exploration · idea generation · problem-solving · inventiveness · aha moment
default mode network
Brain regions active at rest
- prefrontal cortexBrain's planning and impulse center
- fMRIMagnetic neural activity imaging
- brain activityMental processes occurring
neural pathways · connectivity · hippocampus · resting state · executive function · brain imaging
- attentionattention, focus, focused, attentiveness, focused attention
mind-wanderingconcentration
Sustained single-minded attention
focus · focused attention · attention · attentiveness · rapt attention
mind-wanderingmindfulness
Awareness of the present
presence · groundedness · situational awareness · in the moment · alertness
mind-wanderingmental discipline
Trained control of thought
executive function · analytical thinking · systematic thinking
mind, wander, minds, minded, minding, mindful, mindless, mindfulness, wanders