Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind

This paper does not mention IQ or giftedness (going by media coverage and the abstract), but I'd guess that higher-IQ people are less disturbed by the lack of external stimuli, although the sex difference found in the paper indicates that it's not just a matter of IQ. I wonder if the ability to just think without stimuli can be fostered.

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6192/75
Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind
by Timothy D. Wilson et al.
Science 4 July 2014:
Vol. 345 no. 6192 pp. 75-77
Abstract:
In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoyed doing mundane external activities much more, and that many preferred to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative.

Discussed in the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...selves-than-be-alone-with-their-thoughts .

Bostonian, that was prescisely DD's assertion as well-- that those with higher cognitive ability were probably MUCH more likely to tolerate solitude and lack of external stimuli.

My hypothesis is that it is multi-variable, and that introverts AND those with high IQ are likely to be at the more tolerant side of things.

Honestly, though-- 6 to 15 minutes?? When I read this, I found myself thinking... are you KIDDING me??

I can spend 30 minutes just staring out the window and thinking.

There are a lot of activities that I would prefer to self-administer electric shocks rather than perform the activity.

However, in the real world, you are not permitted the option of self-administering electric shocks in lieu of performing certain activities.

Therefore, this study is profoundly flawed.

The world's quietest room will drive you crazy in 30 minutes, apparently.

http://news.discovery.com/human/life/worlds-quietest-room-will-drive-you-crazy-in-30-minutes.htm

"The key to the level of silence is the fact that the walls, floor and ceiling absorb all sound, rather than reflecting it, as most surfaces do. Thus the term anechoic: no echo. It’s so quiet, you can hear your own organs: your heart, stomach, even your ears, which make a tiny amount of noise. It turns out that it’s not an especially pleasant experience, especially in the dark. The longest anyone has ever spent alone in the chamber? Forty-five minutes."

I would be the person who falls asleep in the room for several hours, skewing the study's results.

But did any of the test subjects have kids?

These people can't stand 6-15 minutes alone? Clearly they don't have three year olds.

I am not understanding the validity of this study at all. I believe that it is based on a false premise. It is entirely possible to think deep thoughts while self-administering electric shock. It is also possible that the electric shock may help certain individuals focus.

Since I have had a smart phone I have become much less practised at doing nothing.

CLEARLY. I'm still recovering, and mine is 15.