Mindwandering: How It Can Improve Your Mood and Boost Your Creativity

Description

'An original, provocative and fascinating new theory by one of the world's leading neuroscientists about why the mind wanders - and when and why it's good for you' Daniel Gilbert 'A gentle and humane book that should be read by everyone interested in the human mind and the human brain' Andy Clark Our brains are noisy. Certain regions are always grinding away at involuntary activities like daydreaming, worrying about the future and self-chatter, taking up to forty-seven percent of our waking time. This is mindwandering - and while it can tug your attention away from the present and contribute to anxiety, cognitive neuroscientist Moshe Bar reveals that there is a method behind this apparent madness. Mindwandering is the first popular book to explore the multi-faceted phenomenon of our wandering minds and the cutting-edge new research behind it. Bar combines his decades of research to explain the benefits and the possible cost of mindwandering within the broader context of psychology, neuroscience, psychiatry and philosophy, providing us with practical knowledge that can help you: - Develop your sense of self, better relate to others, and make associations that help you understand the world around you - Increase your ability to focus by understanding when to wander - and when not to - Magnify and enrich your experiences by learning about full immersion - Stimulate your creativity by combing through the past and making predictions about the future - Boost your mood by unleashing your mind. Cover Half-title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Introduction: States of Mind Chapter 1. Always “On” Chapter 2. Connecting with Our Thoughts Chapter 3. The Journey from Now Chapter 4. What Do We Wander About? Our Self First Chapter 5. This Way Something Potentially Wicked Comes Chapter 6. Future Memories: Learning from Imagined Experiences Chapter 7. The Loss of Novelty Chapter 8. Templates of Mind and the Limits of Boundaries Chapter 9. Breadth of Thought, Creativity, and Mood Chapter 10. Meditation, the Default Brain, and the Quality of Our Experience Chapter 11. Immersed Living Chapter 12. An Optimal Mind for the Occasion In Sum: Five Points to Keep in Mind Appendix: From the Lab to Everyday Life Acknowledgments Notes Index