Why Our Minds Wander

We all daydream; we've all experienced that moment when we suddenly realise that instead of paying attention in a meeting or reading a book, our mind has wandered. In that moment our conscious mind has detached from the current task at hand and drifted elsewhere. Our attention is a powerful lens which allows us to pick out and filter relevant details from the vast amounts of information our brains receive – so how does our brain decide where to go when it wanders, why does it focus on one thing over another? How important is daydreaming and why do we do it? Traditionally daydreaming was considered to be a single state of mind. However, recent research has shown that not only are there different states of daydreaming, these states are actually governed by different neurological pathways, meaning not all mind wandering is the same! Here, Arnaud Delorme PhD examines the science and theory behind why we daydream, examining its potential purpose. He shows you how to tame your 'monkey mind' and offers easy techniques that will enable you to develop the skill of mind wandering to improve your mood and foster greater creativity.