Just Think: The Challenges of Enjoying One's Own Thoughts
One of the hallmarks of consciousness is the ability to control one’s thoughts. As far as we know, human beings are the only species who can select a topic and think about it for a prolonged period of time. This ability, however, may not be as well-developed or as easy as is sometimes thought. It may be particularly difficult for people to control their thoughts in a way that is enjoyable and improves their subjective well-being. I will discuss results showing that people find it difficult to entertain themselves with their own thoughts and do not particularly enjoy “just thinking,” especially compared to engaging in everyday external activities. “Just thinking” is more enjoyable, however, if people are motivated to do it and given simple thinking aids that reduce the amount of mental control they need to exert.
Timothy D. Wilson is the Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. His research has explored many facets of self-knowledge and social cognition. In research on affective forecasting, for example, he has examined how well people can predict their emotional reactions to future events. In studies on fantasy and daydreaming, he has been looking at the conditions under which people can entertain themselves with their own minds versus getting bored.
Homepage: https://publicsearch.people.virginia.edu/person/tdw