Evidence shows our brain never rests. When we go into an inward focus, the amount of energy certain sections of our brain uses, increases beyond what was required to focus externally.
Health Psychologist Kelly McGonigal, thinks that this is probably not a totally positive event. She believes that our brain becomes much more active with inner chatter and distractions. The default state automatically goes to these four main mental activities:
1) Inner commentary – creating an opinion on the present moment and looking for what is wrong and what can be improved in a type of alternate reality;
2) Time traveling – thinking about the past or the future, imagined scenarios, inner fantasy;
3) Self-referential processing – Creating a sense of self – who you are, “I am the person who ____, I like this and I don’t like that, other people should treat me a certain way because of who I am.” It defines your identity or ego. This solid rigid sense of self distances you from others and the present moment;
4) Social cognition – Thinking about others, what they think about you, what you think about them, looking at yourself in relationship to others, comparing yourself to others.
McGonigal is a teacher of yoga and a proponent of quiet minds. Indeed, the brain’s default status may make meditation difficult. However, those who are curious about the content of our minds and who are drawn to observing the imagination, this is confirmation that the production of the imagination must be vitally important to the human since so much energy is dedicated to it.
More examination, both using imaging equipment and noting personal experiences, will give us with a clearer view of this state of mind and what part our imagination plays in this activity.
A Brief Introduction to the Default Mode Network
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