Preurejanje - človek in drevo (6)kjns.png

Mind-wandering

The interdisciplinary Mind-wandering project explores common, but intangible, phenomenological phenomenon of mind-wandering. The small group of trained researchers delve deeply into researching how and why our thoughts wander in our daily lives. Our goal is to refine the research approach and make it accessible to everyone.

“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.”

- Paradise Lost, John Milton (1674)

“... the internal dialogue is what grounds us," don Juan said. "The world is such and such or so and so, only because we talk to ourselves about its being such and such or so and so."

- Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda (1972)

Mind-wandering refers to all mental processes that are not directly connected to what is happening around us or to the task we are engaged in at a given moment. On a phenomenological level, we can all recognize that our thoughts often wander. We spontaneously engage in this process for most (approximately 50%–85%) of our waking hours. This means that an average person spends about 33 years, 1 month, and 3 days mind-wandering.

Nevertheless, the process is difficult for researchers to access in the natural environment, as the very nature of mind wandering is elusive. Thus, the scientific research of mind wandering is a relatively new field that is still developing and, with the discovery of new research methods, is researched more and more intensively. In fact, we still do not clearly know how the process works and what its function is.

What and how do we research?

What content do we wander through and in what way?

What attracts and guides our attention?

What feelings (i.e. atmosphere) do we recognize in the background?

How does our surrounding context get involved in mind-wandering?

How is mind-wandering connected with the experience of our self?

The Observatory research team (+ link), operating within the Laboratory for Empirical Phenomenology, aims to develop skills in observing, tracking, and recording instances of mind-wandering to answer these questions in a deeper way over time. We will conduct our research by monitoring and recording our daily experiences in a natural environment by using the Curious mobile application.

In the first phase of the project, we aim to refine our research paradigm and find an appropriate and valid way to collect data on various aspects of mind-wandering, which would encourage broader future research in this field. Additionally, we want to make this method of research, by using the mobile app, accessible to a wide range of users, offering them the opportunity for an in-depth, yet straightforward, way to explore and track their own experiences.

As part of the project, we will organize a series of workshops and lectures on mind-wandering and the broader scope of experience. Among the speakers will be renowned researchers in the field (e.g., Associate Professor Dr. Marieke van Vugt from the University of Groningen). These events are expected to begin in March 2025. You can find updates on events at Tavanja (Wanderings).

Additionally, we will explore mind-wandering through interactive podcasts that are going to be published on our YouTube channel, and through posts on our Instagram profile, both called Curious (about) Consciousness.

People behind the project

The project is financed by the University of Ljubljana. It is a distinctly interdisciplinary project that brings together experts from the fields of neuroscience, empirical phenomenology, psychiatry, linguistics and electrical engineering. They operate within four faculties of the University of Ljubljana: Faculty of Education, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The participating research institution is The University of Groningen (Netherlands).