Modern society is surrounded by digital technology, and numerous studies have highlighted the risks associated with spending all day staring blankly at a screen. However, a recent study has discovered that exercising your brain is much more enjoyable than people realize.
Letting your mind wander without a digital device can lead to happiness
According to findings from Germany, the UK, and Japan, individuals underestimate the happiness they obtain from simply letting their minds wander without using a digital gadget or another type of temptation nearby. The team carried out a number of trials with more than 250 participants and discovered that people repeatedly underestimated how much satisfaction they received from merely resting for a maximum of 20 minutes, focusing on their thoughts and musing about what they pleased.
Lead study author Aya Hatano of Kyoto University “Humans have a striking ability to immerse themselves in their thinking. However, our research suggests that individuals have difficulty appreciating just how engaging thinking can be. That could explain why people prefer keeping themselves busy with devices and other distractions, rather than taking a moment for reflection and imagination in daily life.”
In one study, participants were asked to estimate how much they’d appreciate 20 minutes of solitude and introspection. But, of course, the volunteers were not allowed to read, use their smartphones, or even move during the real activity.
People love daydreaming more than anticipated
Each person loved daydreaming more than they anticipated, according to the findings. This was still true even after the investigators made many changes to the study, such as letting the respondents sit for only 3 minutes in a dark room or an unoccupied meeting room or questioning them midway through 20-minute sessions about how much fun they were experiencing.
On each occasion, the group concluded that simply sitting and letting their minds wander was far more enjoyable than they had anticipated.
According to earlier research, letting the mind drift can improve creativity, help other people overcome issues, and even assist them in finding meaning in their lives.
