Why Zoning Out Is Good For You

We all find ourselves waiting, with nothing to do. In the waiting room of our clinic, auto mechanic, or quiet time working time.Usually when this happens our instincts turn to our smartphone To scroll through social media or check your emaillike Something feel more productive than doing none.

We think of zoning as unproductive or boring, but there’s evidence to suggest it’s far more fun and productive than we might think. Recent research Published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Generalresearchers found that people consistently underestimated the enjoyment of just sitting and waiting in a quiet room..

Zoning out is more fun than we think

In the first experiment, participants were asked to wait 20 minutes in a room with closed windows, were not allowed access to personal belongings such as smartphones, and were allowed to sit in chairs. Before this happened, they were asked how much fun they thought it would be to do this.

What the researchers found was that people consistently underestimated how much they enjoyed sitting and thinking. To block visual stimuli, participants consistently underestimated the appeal and enjoyment of sitting and thinking.

As the authors of the paper write, “This undervalued thinking alone prompted participants to actively avoid waiting tasks and prioritize other tasks (such as checking Internet news).” However, there was no statistical difference in experience.”

W.Reaching for my smartphone whenever I have a few minutes of nothing to do is a reflex. news, social media, or message. However Taking a few minutes to just sit and think can be more fun than we think. opportunity for reflection.

Study co-author Hiroshi Murayama said: health line“In the modern digital world, it’s very easy to ‘kill time’ in your spare time, but in such a situation it might be a good idea to lose yourself in thought. andAlso Said that previous research I found that it takes time to let me Your Mind Wonder Can Help People Be more creative and better at solving problems.