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Mind-wandering and negative mood: does one thing really lead to another?
Giulia L Poerio1, Peter Totterdell, Eleanor Miles
1Department of Psychology, The University of Sheffield, UK.
Consciousness and Cognition
|October 24, 2013
Summary
Negative mood can precede mind-wandering, but mind-wandering itself does not worsen mood unless its content is negative. This suggests mind-wandering isn't inherently bad for well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Mind-wandering is frequently associated with negative mood states.
- The causal direction between mind-wandering and negative mood remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal relationship between mood and mind-wandering.
- To explore if characteristics of mind-wandering explain its link to negative mood.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel smartphone-based experience-sampling technique over 7 days.
- Measured participants' mood before and after episodes of mind-wandering.
- Assessed affective content, time-orientation, and relevance of mind-wandering to current concerns.
Main Results:
- Sadness was found to precede mind-wandering episodes.
- Mind-wandering itself did not predict subsequent mood changes.
- Negative affective content of mind-wandering predicted feeling worse.
- Prior negative mood predicted mind-wandering, particularly when relevant to current concerns.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest that negative mood may precede mind-wandering, rather than being solely a consequence.
- Mind-wandering's impact on mood is contingent on its content, not inherent.
- Mind-wandering is not universally detrimental to psychological well-being.
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