Did you know that a wandering mind is less happy?

Daydreaming has always been thought of as a pleasurable pastime, but actually too much of it can make us less happy.

A Harvard University study found that “ a wandering mind is an unhappy mind”. The study’s researchers used an app to track whether or not people’s minds were focused on their present activity at random times of the day, and their consequent level of happiness at the time.

They found that on average people’s minds were not focused on the present 47% of the time. That’s astounding – nearly half of the time people’s minds were wandering!

And in tracking when participants’ minds were present or wandering, they found that they were happier when they were focused on what they were doing in the moment.

“Mind-wandering is an excellent predictor of people’s happiness,” the study co-author, Matt Killingsworth says. “In fact, how often our minds leave the present and where they tend to go is a better predictor of our happiness than the activities in which we are engaged.”

Yet more evidence that regularly meditating and practicing being present can help us to be happier!

You can use the App yourself to get an idea of how present your mind is at random times throughout the day. It also looks like a great reminder tool to remind us to be mindful more often! Download it here.

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