Why Reflection Is Good For Well-Being

The Huffington Post:

Make sure you take time to rest and reflect — new research shows it’s important for our well-being.

The review of studies, published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, shows that “resting” our brains — a.k.a daydreaming — is linked with improvements in self-awareness, learning and memory.

“We focus on the outside world in education and don’t look much at inwardly focused reflective skills and attentions,” study researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, a professor of education, psychology and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, said in a statement. “But inward focus impacts the way we build memories, make meaning and transfer that learning into new contexts.”

Researchers said that while “outward attention” — like what a person might learn and put into practice in a classroom — is important, we also need a healthy balance of reflection and daydreaming time.

Earlier this year, a study in the journal Psychological Science showed that having a wandering mind could actually be a good thing.

Read the whole story: The Huffington Post