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The Relationship Between Wandering Mind, Depression and Mindfulness

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Abstract

This study examined the relationship between wandering mind, depression and mindfulness. We used the Sustained Attention to Response Task to assess the wandering mind, while the online thought probes were employed as the subjective marker for mind-wandering. The Beck Depression Inventory and Mindfulness Attention and Awareness Scale were used to assess depression and dispositional mindfulness respectively. The results revealed that the wandering mind even without awareness was not only positively associated with depression, but also negatively related to dispositional mindfulness. Depression was negatively related to dispositional mindfulness. These results might provide evidence that a wandering mind is positively associated with depression and mindfulness.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by NSFC grant 60971096 and 973 Program 2012CB518200. Thanks INI staff, Michael I. Posner, and two reviewers for the insightful comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neuroinformatics and Laboratory for Body and Mind, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

    Yu-Qin Deng & Song Li

  2. Texas Tech Neuroimaging Institute and Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA

    Yi-Yuan Tang

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  1. Yu-Qin Deng
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  2. Song Li
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  3. Yi-Yuan Tang
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Correspondence to Yi-Yuan Tang.

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Deng, YQ., Li, S. & Tang, YY. The Relationship Between Wandering Mind, Depression and Mindfulness. Mindfulness 5, 124–128 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0157-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0157-7

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