Exploring the Science of Mind Wandering with Dr. Julia Kam

Introduction to mind wandering

Mind wandering—those moments when our attention drifts away from the current task or spontaneously jumps between unrelated thoughts—accounts for about 30 to 50 percent of our waking hours (McVay, 2007). In our productivity-focused world, these different types of mind wandering are often portrayed negatively, as something to avoid. However, recent research points out several potential benefits to experiencing thoughts that freely move from one topic to another, including increased creativity, better emotional well-being, and essential mental downtime that helps our brains recharge (Irving, 2024; Kam, 2024).

What is mind wandering? Dr. Julia Kam explains.

In 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bitbrain, in collaboration with Tobii and Psychology Software Tools, launched an initiative awarding €170,000 worth of technology, including EEG and biosignal systems, to researchers with outstanding project proposals. The goal of this grant was to catalyze research into human behaviour and brain-computer interfaces during this challenging period, providing crucial support to neuroscience projects for two years, starting in 2021. This initiative aimed to contribute back to the scientific community, fostering innovative and practical research as society navigated the complex aftermath of COVID-19. 

Almudena Robledo, Product Manager at Bitbrain interviews Dr. Julia Kam.

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Julia Kam, one of the recipients of this grant, about the results of her prize-winning research proposal on mind wandering. As a neuroscientist myself, I was particularly interested in understanding how her unique methodology has shaped the way we think about our attention. Human attention has gained a lot of interest, especially post-pandemic, as stress, distractions, and anxiety have profoundly affected our ability to focus. Understanding what shapes our attention is vital, not only to enhance self-awareness but also to address and better understand disorders like ADHD (Bozhilova, 2018; Hasan, 2024). Mind wandering, which Dr. Kam discusses today, is among our most common and significant attentional states (Smallwood, 2006). 

Bitbrain water-based EEG headset Versatile

Dr. Julia Kam, Asssociate Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary and head of the Internal Attention Lab, is at the forefront of mind wandering research. As one of the winners of the Bitbrain grant, her project proposal was awarded with a 32-channel Versatile water-based EEG cap and a license for the SennsLab software. EEG, or electroencephalography, is a non-invasive method for recording electrical activity in the brain, widely used to study various cognitive processes and brain functions. It is particularly valuable for investigating mind wandering because it allows researchers to observe brain activity patterns associated with internal attention in real-time. 

Neuroscience of attention: Researching mind wandering

Dr. Julia Kam describes how her lab studies mind wandering

As Dr. Kam explained during our conversation, researchers studying mind wandering typically have participants engage in "really boring tasks" while their brain activity is recorded using EEG caps. As the participants carry out these tasks, researchers periodically ask them what they are thinking about. This allows researchers to map the electrical activity recorded on the EEG to the participants' reported thoughts. This method helps researchers correlate specific electrical signatures with different attentional states, ranging from focused concentration (e.g., thinking about the task at hand) to mind wandering (trains of thoughts unrelated to the current task or thoughts that jump from one topic to another) (Kam, 2021). However, scenarios involving repetitive and monotonous laboratory tasks are often artificial and differ significantly from most everyday activities. 

Dr. Kam’s research addresses precisely this issue. Rather than relying on artificial, repetitive tasks, she asked participants to come into the lab and perform their typical daily activities, such as creating presentations, reading, or playing games, while recording their brain activity using an EEG cap. In this way, she captured natural instances of mind wandering as would occur in our everyday tasks. The results demonstrated consistency with previous findings obtained from traditional monotonous task paradigms (Kam, 2022). This conformity is encouraging, as it indicates that whether we're making a PowerPoint presentation or simply pressing a button repeatedly, our brains exhibit similar patterns when our attention drifts off to think about something else. 

This validation of Dr. Kam’s methodology also underscores the viability of studying mind wandering in more realistic, everyday contexts. In her study, as discussed during our full interview, EEG data consistently showed certain alpha wave patterns correlating with different mind-wandering states, while also revealing intriguing individual differences that open new directions for future research. The detailed findings from this study are currently in press and will be published soon. 

Pros and cons of using EEG tools to study the brain

Dr. Julia Kam shares insights on the advantages and limitations of EEG tools in neuroscience research

We were interested in Dr. Kam’s feedback as an EEG veteran about our technology and her experience of using these tools to study attention. When we asked her what it was like to use our Versatile EEG cap in her study, she highlighted the EEG cap’s portability and its user-friendly, water-based electrodes, which reduce discomfort often experienced during gel application compared to conventional gel-based EEG systems. Traditional gel-based systems typically leave gel residue on participant’s heads and require them to wash their hair after the session, often discouraging participation. Bitbrain's water-based Versatile EEG system not only reduces this inconvenience but also streamlines the experience for both researchers, saving time on preparation and cleanup, and participants, enhancing their overall comfort and ease of participation. 

Benefits of embracing mind wandering

Dr. Julia Kam on how her research has shaped her daily life

Translating scientific insights into daily life can be challenging, so we asked Dr. Kam how she applies lessons from her research into her own routine. Acknowledging that our brains aren't built to maintain constant focus, Dr. Kam emphasizes the practical benefits of intentionally managing mind wandering. She recommends deliberately allowing the mind to drift during leisure activities, such as taking a walk, as a way to give ourselves a mental break. Dr. Kam explains that allowing these moments of mental freedom have been linked to enhanced emotional well-being and may ultimately help us maintain better focus during tasks that require concentration. Being mindful and recognizing when our minds wander, she says, is crucial for effectively regulating attention. Advocating for a balanced approach, Dr. Kam encourages embracing mind wandering: “If you're going for a walk in the woods or doing some chores, it's actually nice to let your mind roam freely. And we have shown that it's linked to more positive affect.” 

Conclusion

Dr. Kam’s approach provides critical insights into the neuroscience of attention and its everyday implications. For further insights into Dr. Kam’s fascinating research, listen to the full interview or explore more at the Internal Attention Lab’s website. 

About the author

Almudena Robledo is a health biologist and neuroscientist specializing in sleep and neurotechnology. Her research experience spans from animal studies on autism to digital therapies for Alzheimer's disease. Currently, she works as a Product Manager at Bitbrain, contributing to the development of innovative neurotechnology solutions created by researchers for researchers. 

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References

Bozhilova, N. S., Michelini, G., Kuntsi, J., & Asherson, P. (2018). Mind wandering perspective on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 92, 464–476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.07.010

Hasan, F., Shah, H. P., Kam, J. W. Y., & Murias, K. R. (2024). Unraveling the relationship between executive function and mind wandering in childhood ADHD. Child Neuropsychology, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2024.2435545

Irving, Z. C., McGrath, C., Flynn, L., Glasser, A., & Mills, C. (2024). The shower effect: Mind wandering facilitates creative incubation during moderately engaging activities. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 18, 1096–1107.

Kam, J. W. Y., Irving, Z. C., Mills, C., Patel, S., Gopnik, A., & Knight, R. T. (2021). Distinct electrophysiological signatures of task-unrelated and dynamic thoughts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(4), e2011796118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2011796118

Kam, J. W. Y., Rahnuma, T., Park, Y. E., & Hart, C. M. (2022). Electrophysiological markers of mind wandering: A systematic review. NeuroImage, 258, 119372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119372

Kam, J. W. Y., Wong, A. Y., Thiemann, R. F., Hasan, F., Andrews-Hanna, J. R., & Mills, C. (2024). On the relationship between unprompted thought and affective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 150(5), 621–641. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000428

McVay, J. C., Kane, M. J., & Kwapil, T. R. (2009). Tracking the train of thought from the laboratory into everyday life: An experience-sampling study of mind wandering across controlled and ecological contexts. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 16(5), 857–863. https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.16.5.857

Smallwood, J., & Schooler, J. W. (2006). The restless mind. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 946–958. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.946