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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

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Mind-blanking: when the mind goes away.

Adrian F Ward¹, Daniel M Wegner

¹Department of Psychology, Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA.

Frontiers in Psychology

|October 8, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Mind-blanking is a common experience where attention disconnects from perception. Research shows this mental state involves attention failing to register stimuli, distinct from mind-wandering.

Keywords:

attention consciousness mind-blanking mind-wandering perception reading comprehension stimulus-independent thought task-unrelated thought

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Mind-wandering, where attention disconnects from the present, is a common human experience.
Mind-blanking represents a more extreme state where attention fails to consciously register any stimuli.

Purpose of the Study:

To define and differentiate mind-blanking from other mental states.
To explore the phenomenological, behavioral, and cognitive properties of mind-blanking.

Main Methods:

Seven experiments were conducted to investigate mind-blanking.
Phenomenological reports, behavioral outcomes, and cognitive processes were analyzed.

Main Results:

Mind-blanking is characterized by an extreme decoupling of perception and attention.
Distinguishes between failing to monitor the mind's whereabouts and the mind being truly "gone".

Conclusions:

Mind-blanking is a distinct mental state with unique characteristics.
Further research is needed to fully understand the cognitive processes underlying mind-blanking.