New research conducted by the University of Tübingen in Germany has shown that intentionally letting your mind wander has real benefits, and the enjoyment that most people find in sitting alone with their thoughts should not be underestimated. The study was published in the journal Experimental Psychology and was supervised by Professor Ko Murayama, a professor of educational psychology. It found that people enjoy thinking without engaging in external stimuli, such as reading, using a smartphone, or wandering.
The study involved 259 university students from the UK and Japan, who were asked to participate in six experiments, including sitting alone for periods ranging from 3 to 20 minutes, sitting in an empty meeting room, or in a dark tent area, and enjoying solitude with their thoughts. In another experiment, researchers found that compared to participants who were asked to check news online, those instructed to think without external distractions reported similar levels of enjoyment, even though they had anticipated they would enjoy it much less.
The study found that participants consistently expected levels of enjoyment to be lower than their actual results, which averaged 3 to 4 out of 7. Thinking was never rated as "very enjoyable," according to Dr. Murayama. The study's results clarified that "not all types of thinking are intrinsically rewarding, as some people are prone to cycles of negative rumination."
The findings noted, "There is so much stimulation in our world now that we expect this stimulation to be present constantly. As a modern culture, we yearn to be busy and active, with something to do, which makes us forget that sometimes, the absence of something to do can create a lot of joy."
