Now that the summer is quickly coming to an end, I find myself reflecting on some of the moments that stood out for me – moments when I felt balanced; when I felt like things were just perfect.
Looking back, some of those perfect moments happened when I just sat around doing nothing.
Well, research proves that when you ask someone to sit around and think – when you ask them to sit around and do nothing – they will enjoy the experience more than they might predict.
The Enjoyment of Thinking
In a series of experiments, researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom asked participants to sit in a room and wait for 20 minutes. Participants were told that the purpose of the study was to explore people’s cognitive processing during waiting.
The instructions were as follows,
“You will be required to leave your belongings in this room and stay in the next room (i.e., experimental room) for 20 minutes. You have nothing else to do other than sit in a chair. While waiting, you may think about anything, but you may not do any of the following things: (a) sleep, (b) walk/exercise, (c) look at/use a smartphone, (d) eat, or (e) look at a watch.
The researchers had the participants fill out questionnaires before they sat in a room and then again after the 20-minute waiting period. The questionnaires asked students how much they enjoyed waiting (e.g., “I enjoy waiting very much” or “I find waiting interesting.”)
Results showed that participants experienced more enjoyment, more engagement, more interest, and less boredom than they had predicted. In other words, these 19-year-old students enjoyed sitting around and thinking more than they thought they would.
Thinking is Part of a Balanced Life
In my book, The Promise Wheel, the letter M stands for Mind.
One of the points I discuss in the Mind chapter is the impact of thinking on living a balanced life. Specifically, I discuss how balanced thoughts lead to a balanced life. For example, when a person feels stressed, depressed, anxious, or angry, biased or irrational thoughts often perpetuate these feelings.
But if you practice self-reflection and challenge some of your biased thoughts, you’ll feel less stressed, less anxious, and have fewer uncomfortable emotions overall.
The above study proves that if you take the time to sit around and think, you will enjoy the process much more than you might predict. Additionally, you’ll be more engaged with your thoughts and less bored.
It proves that spending time and energy focusing on the Mind domain of your life can positively impact the Emotions hub of your Wheel and leave you feeling more balanced.
Summary
I enjoy being productive and getting things done. There’s something deeply satisfying about accomplishing tasks and projects that are important to me and are in alignment with my goals.
But one of the things I often remind myself of is that I am a human being and not just a human doing.
Sitting around and focusing on just being – sitting around without distractions and engaging in self-reflection – is more pleasurable than I often anticipate.
It’s a reminder that the best device we have to keep ourselves entertained is the mind.
Richard
If you enjoyed this post, then pick up my new book, The Promise Wheel: Psychology For Growth and a Balanced Life. I provide dozens of strategies and insights on how to improve your health, relationships, and career so that you can achieve personal balance, feel less stressed, and have fun again.