Wait, what was I doing?

kennyc · 11-12-2010, 11:17 AM

Mind Is a Frequent, but Not Happy, Wanderer: People Spend Nearly Half Their Waking Hours Thinking About What Isn’t Going on Around Them

ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2010) — People spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy. So says a study that used an iPhone web app to gather 250,000 data points on subjects' thoughts, feelings, and actions as they went about their lives.

...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1111141759.htm

dsvick · 11-12-2010, 12:42 PM

Ok, wait... I have to raise the "that is stupid flag" on this one....

Quote:

Originally Posted by from the article

...contacted 2,250 volunteers at random intervals to ask how happy they were, what they were currently doing, and whether they were thinking about their current activity or about something else that was pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant.

So every so often they interrupted these people and asked them if they were thinking about what it was they were just doing and if they were happy? What sort of answer were they expecting?

Am I happy? No, I was right in the middle of something and you interrupted me with this stupid survey.

Am I thinking about what I was doing? No, not anymore.

Was I before you interrupted me? No not really I was wondering in the back of my mind when this stupid app was going to interrupt me again.

This sounds to me like a self fulfilling experiment, sort of like if she floats she's a witch, if not she's not, either way the accuser wins

kennyc · 11-12-2010, 12:58 PM

Love your analysis dsvick!

Maybe this should have a "sillyness" tag on it.

poohbear_nc · 11-12-2010, 01:05 PM

It's like the questions on applications: Have you ever, or do you now, take illegal drugs?
Do they really expect honesty?

kennyc · 11-12-2010, 01:35 PM

Nope, it's a cover their ass tactic.

Javed · 01-14-2011, 05:03 AM

How did I get to this thread? Mind wandering I guess. Read the article and found it interesting. Thanks for posting it, Kenny.

Would be great if I could be more now and zen!

TGS · 01-14-2011, 05:17 AM

As the report mentions, not to be tied to the present moment is a considerable cognitive achievement that most creatures do no have the ability to do. However, to be able to escape the constraints of the present moment is not the same thing as having a wandering mind - thinking in a focused and coherent way about, for example, how I am going to run a meeting this afternoon is not the same as letting my mind wander. I'm not sure the report recognizes this distinction.

kennyc · 01-14-2011, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Javed

How did I get to this thread? Mind wandering I guess. Read the article and found it interesting. Thanks for posting it, Kenny.

Would be great if I could be more now and zen!

.

GeoffC · 01-14-2011, 09:58 AM

There was me just minding my own business wandering around the threads - saw this one and ....

nohmi2 · 01-14-2011, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

There was me just minding my own business wandering around the threads - saw this one and ....

Didn't Mommy tell you not to go wandering around the threads by yourself?

Cheers

GeoffC · 01-15-2011, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nohmi2

Didn't Mommy tell you not to go wandering around the threads by yourself?

Cheers

she knows I have a warped mind ....

11-12-2010, 11:17 AM	#1
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Wait, what was I doing? Mind Is a Frequent, but Not Happy, Wanderer: People Spend Nearly Half Their Waking Hours Thinking About What Isn’t Going on Around Them ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2010) — People spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy. So says a study that used an iPhone web app to gather 250,000 data points on subjects' thoughts, feelings, and actions as they went about their lives. ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1111141759.htm

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11-12-2010, 12:58 PM	#3
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Love your analysis dsvick! Maybe this should have a "sillyness" tag on it.

11-12-2010, 01:05 PM	#4
poohbear_nc Now what? Posts: 58,797 Karma: 135181808 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	It's like the questions on applications: Have you ever, or do you now, take illegal drugs? Do they really expect honesty?

11-12-2010, 01:35 PM	#5
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,872 Karma: 118716293 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Nope, it's a cover their ass tactic.

01-14-2011, 05:03 AM	#6
Javed Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,270 Karma: 1126878541 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Astak Pocket PRO, iPod Touch, PRS-650	How did I get to this thread? Mind wandering I guess. Read the article and found it interesting. Thanks for posting it, Kenny. Would be great if I could be more now and zen!

01-14-2011, 05:17 AM	#7
TGS Country Member Posts: 9,058 Karma: 7676767 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Denmark Device: Liseuse: Irex DR800. PRS 505 in the house, and the missus has an iPad.	As the report mentions, not to be tied to the present moment is a considerable cognitive achievement that most creatures do no have the ability to do. However, to be able to escape the constraints of the present moment is not the same thing as having a wandering mind - thinking in a focused and coherent way about, for example, how I am going to run a meeting this afternoon is not the same as letting my mind wander. I'm not sure the report recognizes this distinction.

01-14-2011, 09:58 AM	#9
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,600 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	There was me just minding my own business wandering around the threads - saw this one and ....

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