... And How It Helps Me To Think

I usually don't take anything to read when going for a ride on the subway. And I don't listen to books on tape while driving or running in the park. Typically I defend myself to friends who think I'm wasting time by claiming, "I need the time to worry."

New research, however, gives me a better excuse. When the mind is wandering, the brain's "default network" takes over, according to Eric Klinger at the University of Minnesota, and "this system keeps the individual's larger agenda fresher in mind." That's an evolutionary advantage, he suggests, "increasing the likelihood that the other goal pursuits will remain intact and not get lost in the shuffle of pursuing many goals." (See, "Discovering the Virtues of a Wandering Mind.")

But the report on mind wandering in The New York Times, suggests there is also reason to believe that it encourages the creative process. According to Dr. Jonathan Schooler, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, "it may help if you go jogging, take a walk, do some knitting or just sit around doodling, because relatively undemanding tasks seem to free your mind to wander productively."