マインドワンダリングの定義と影響
Hello, everyone. SCIENSPOT is a podcast that shines a spotlight on the latest scientific
technology from Japan. Your host, REN from SCIEN-TALK. Have you ever been working on
something only to find your mind drifting off to other thoughts, and before you knew it,
you were caught in a spiral of negative feelings? This phenomenon is called mind-wandering,
defined as the redirection of attention from a task to unrelated thoughts. Previous research
has indeed suggested that mind-wandering not only leads to decreased attention and productivity,
but also negatively impacts mental health, contributing to anxiety and depression.
However, mind-wandering has also been linked to high creativity,
making it unclear what determines its positive or negative effects.
Mind-wandering can be categorized into unintentional thoughts, which seem to appeal
out of nowhere like passing clouds, and intentional thoughts, which you consciously direct.
The content of these thoughts also varies. They can be positive or negative, related to the past
ルミネーションと心の wandering
or future, and be specific or ambiguous. Closely connected to mind-wandering are two types of
repetitive thinking cycles, rumination and worry. Rumination is a habit of repeatedly dwelling on
past negative events, like replaying a video of a past mistake and getting caught in regret.
It's strongly associated with depression. On the other hand, worry is the habit of excessively
fretting over potential negative future events, like preparing for a storm that hasn't arrived
yet. It's closely linked to anxiety. This study aimed to clarify the mechanism by
which mind-wandering in specific situations can lead us into anxiety and depression.
This research was conducted by GROOVE, led by Professor Hiroaki Kumano from the Facility of
Human Sciences at Awasa University. Their findings were published online in Scientific Reports on
July 1, 2025. They conducted a very interesting experiment with healthy university students.
First, participants completed a questionnaire measuring their daily levels of rumination,
worry, anxiety, and depression. Next, they performed a sustained attention task using a
computer. This was a very simple task. Numbers from 1 to 9 were displayed sequentially on the
screen, and participants had to press the spacebar for every number except 3, which they had to let
pass without pressing anything. By repeating this simple task 900 times, the researchers created a
situation where participants' minds were naturally brought to mind-wandering. It's like being on a
long drive. Even though the scenery is passing by, your mind might drift off to other places.
During the task, the researchers intermittently paused 20 thought probes at random intervals.
These questions asked, Why are you thinking about something else just now?
Was it intentional? Were the contents positive or negative? Was it about the past or the future?
Was it specific or vague? The collected data was then analyzed using a statistical method
called the Chain Mediation Model. This model estimates a sequential causal relationship,
反芻と不安の関係
mind-wandering leads to rumination and worry, which then contributes to anxiety and depression.
The results revealed a surprising fact, an intentional mind-wandering, the kind where
you just find yourself thinking, especially when accompanied by negative future-oriented or
value-oriented content, was found to increase the frequency of rumination and worry,
which subsequently worsens anxiety and depression. It's like getting lost while driving.
If you just take random turns without checking your GPS, you might end up to one place,
increasing your regret and anxiety. On the other hand, intentional mind-wandering,
where you consciously choose to think about something, showed no association with anxiety,
depression, or rumination. In fact, it was even suggested to suppress worry in some cases.
This implies that purposeful thinking can actually help organize your thoughts and feelings.
What this research suggests is that when our minds wander unintentionally, especially when
connected with negative content or vague future anxieties, it can intensify repetitive thinking
ルミネーションとマインドワンダリング
cycles like rumination and worry, thereby amplifying mental distress.
Therefore, to improve mental health, it's crucial to recognize early on when your mind starts
to engage in such repetitive thinking, to say, I'm overthinking now, and unconsciously
try to stop those thoughts. Additionally, increasing constructive intentional mind-wandering
is suggested to be very beneficial. This study represents a significant step opening
of the possibility of viewing mind-wandering not just as a distraction, but as a concrete point
of intervention of our psychological problems. That's all for today's SciencePod. This podcast
is broadcast daily on weekday morning in both Japanese and English. I'd love for you to listen
and your thoughts with the hashtag SciencePod. Thank you for listening and see you next time.
