In a new research study including 2250 participants from 83 different countries, researchers found that when people's minds drifted away from activities they were supposed to be focusing on, they reported being less happy than when they were fully engaged in whatever they were doing. The human mind has a tendency to wander, think about things that have happened, things that will happen, and plan for things that may happen. Yet, researchers found that when people think about something other than what they're doing, they feel less happy. Study participants spent nearly 47% of their waking hours in a mind wandering state. People reported being happiest when being intimate with a partner, exercising, or conversing. They said they were least happy when resting, sleeping, working, or using a home computer.
Psychologist Barbara Holstein suggests that if you feel your mind starting to head down a "dark tunnel" of worry and anxiety, try to snap yourself out of it by bringing your thoughts back to the present. She also mentions that "it's natural to go over bad news or things that haven't worked out, to dramatize the drama we are already experiencing, but if we can distract ourselves by doing something, we get can get some distance from whatever we were repetitively focusing on, and it's better for us."
So why not try it out? A focused mind may not solve all of our problems and anxieties, but it might be a good place to start!
Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_105444.html
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