Digressive thoughts make you unhappy

Digressive thoughts make unhappy: US psychologists note negative effect of distracting thoughts. 50 percent of people are mentally not in the thing.

People who are mentally distracted while working are more dissatisfied and often unhappy. The digression is not a consequence but cause of dissatisfaction, so the result of a study by Harvard University.

Half the time, people are mentally absent. US psychologists at Harvard University interviewed 2,250 iPhone users about their activity, satisfaction, and mental presence at various times of the day with an extra-programmed app. Their surprising result, the researchers have in the current issue of the magazine „Science“ released. Thus, not only were the subjects mentally absent half the time, but the mental digression also made them unhappy.

Yoga to focus on the moment
Concentration on the moment has always played a special role in Far Eastern philosophy. Meditation, yoga and tai chi exercises help people focus more on the moment, emphasizing the positive effects on the body and mind. The US psychologists support with their publications in the journal „Science“, this positive effect of the mental presence or the concentration on the moment. For not only have they realized that many people are not focusing on their current activity, but that the mental digressions make them unhappy as well.

iPhone app helps with the psychological study
Using software developed specifically for the iPhone, researchers from Harvard University were able to ask the 2,250 study participants about their ability to concentrate, their activity, and their perceived satisfaction several times a day without great difficulty. In the process, the scientists found that 47 percent of the subjects were not thinking about what they were doing right now, with little difference between pleasant and unpleasant activities. No matter if they were watching TV, shopping, eating or going for a walk, just under half of the subjects were not involved.

Achievement of the mind with dark sides
One of the qualities that sets us apart from most other creatures is the ability of Homo sapiens to think about the past and the future, or just let your imagination run wild. While this achievement of the mind is crucial to the planning of the future, scientists have uncovered the dark side of our extraordinary mental power. Because that makes us miserable and so we pay a high emotional price. Matthew Killingsworth, author of „Science“-Article stressed that according to their findings „rambling thoughts (...) an excellent indicator of the satisfaction of people“ are. According to the scientists, the mental presence is there „more important for satisfaction than the things we are doing right now.“

„A wandering mind is an unhappy mind“
„Intentional digressions seem to occur in all activities“, explained Killingsworth and „our mental life is remarkably steeped in the non-present.“ However, according to the study results, this is not particularly advantageous for our emotional satisfaction. For contrary to suspect, the mental digressions according to the scientists are not the result of dissatisfaction, but rather their cause. Already „Many philosophical and religious traditions teach that one finds contentment only for the moment“, so the authors. If people are mentally not in the thing, they feel rather unhappy, because „the human mind is a wandering mind, and a wandering mind is an unhappy mind“, so the conclusion of the US psychologists in the current „Science“-Items. (fp, 12.11.2010)