Your mind, as complex as it is, can’t focus on more than a few things at any given time. It turns out that concentrating makes it hard for our brains to see ‘the big picture’ which is where zoning out comes in. Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have found that zoning out is actually a very useful mental state that helps creativity.
In their fMRI study, Schooler and his colleagues found that the default network and executive control systems are even more active during zoning out than they are during the less extreme mind wandering with awareness. When we are no longer even aware that our minds are wandering, we may be able to think most deeply about the big picture.
Furthermore, according to the study getting drunk and zoning out isn’t the same mental state and isn’t as productive (but more fun). More and more research points to the fact that using our brains too much is detrimental to creativity and highlight the benefits of daydreaming.
[photo by: greeny_meanie]
