The Oxford Handbook of Spontaneous Thought: Mind-Wandering, Creativity, and Dreaming (Oxford Library of Psychology)

Where do spontaneous thoughts come from? It may be surprising that the seemingly straightforward answers "from the mind" or "from the brain" are in fact an incredibly recent understanding of the origins of spontaneous thought. For nearly all of human history, our thoughts - especially the most sudden, insightful, and important - were almost universally ascribed to divine or other external sources. Only in the past few centuries have we truly taken responsibility for their own mental content, and finally localized thought to the central nervous system - laying the foundations for a protoscience of spontaneous thought. But enormous questions still loom: what, exactly, is spontaneous thought? Why does our brain engage in spontaneous forms of thinking, and when is this most likely to occur? And perhaps the question most interesting and accessible from a scientific perspective: how does the brain generate and evaluate its own spontaneous creations? Spontaneous thought includes our daytime fantasies and mind-wandering; the flashes of insight and inspiration familiar to the artist, scientist, and inventor; and the nighttime visions we call dreams. This Handbook brings together views from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, phenomenology, history, education, contemplative traditions, and clinical practice to begin to address the ubiquitous but poorly understood mental phenomena that we collectively call 'spontaneous thought.' In studying such an abstruse and seemingly impractical subject, we should remember that our capacity for spontaneity, originality, and creativity defines us as a species - and as individuals. Spontaneous forms of thought enable us to transcend not only the here and now of perceptual experience, but also the bonds of our deliberately-controlled and goal-directed cognition; they allow the space for us to be other than who we are, and for our minds to think beyond the limitations of our current viewpoints and beliefs. Introduction: Toward an Interdisciplinary Science of Spontaneous Thought Why the Mind Wanders: How Spontaneous Thoughts Default Variability May Support Episodic Efficiency and Semantic Optimization An Exploration/Exploitation Trade-off Between Mind-Wandering and Goal-Directed Thinking When the Absence of Reasoning Breeds Meaning: Metacognitive Appraisals of Spontaneous Thought The Mind Wanders with Ease: Low Motivational Intensity Is an Essential Quality of Mind-Wandering How Does the Brains Spontaneous Activity Generate Our Thoughts? The Spatio temporal Theory of Task-Unrelated Thought (STTT) Investigating the Elements of Thought: Toward a Component Process Account of Spontaneous Cognition The Philosophy of Mind-Wandering Why Is Mind-Wandering Interesting for Philosophers? Spontaneity in Evolution, Learning, Creativity, and Free Will: Spontaneous Variation in Four Selectionist Phenomena How Does the Waking and Sleeping Brain Produce Spontaneous Thought and Imagery, and Why? Spontaneous Thinking in Creative Lives: Building Connections Between Science and History The Neuroscience of Spontaneous Thought: An Evolving Interdisciplinary Field Neural Origins of Self-Generated Thought: Insights from Intracranial Electrical Stimulation and Recordings in Humans Mind-Wandering and Self-Referential Thought Phenomenological Properties of Mind-Wandering and Daydreaming: A Historical Overview and Functional Correlates Spontaneous Thought and Goal Pursuit: From Functions Such as Planning to Dysfunctions Such as Rumination Unraveling What’s on Our Minds: How Different Types of Mind-Wandering Affect Cognition and Behavior Electrophysiological Evidence for Attentional Decoupling during Mind-Wandering Mind-Wandering in Educational Settings Interacting Brain Networks Underlying Creative Cognition and Artistic Performance Spontaneous and Controlled Processes in Creative Cognition Wandering and Direction in Creative Production Flow as Spontaneous Thought: Insight and Implicit Learning Internal Orientation in Aesthetic Experience Neuropsychopharmacology of Flexible and Creative Thinking Dreaming Is an Intensified Form of Mind-Wandering, Based in an Augmented Portions of the Default Network Neural Correlates of Self-Generated Imagery and Cognition Throughout the Sleep Cycle Spontaneous Thought, Insight, and Control in Lucid Dreams Microdream Neurophenomenology: A Paradigm for Dream Neuroscience Sleep Paralysis: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology, and Treatment Dreaming and Waking Thought as a Reflection of Memory Consolidation Involuntary Autobiographical Memories: Spontaneous Recollections of the Past Potential Clinical Benefits and Risks of Spontaneous Thought: Unconstrained Attention as a Way into and a Way out of Psychological Disharmony Candidate Mechanisms of Spontaneous Cognition as Revealed by Dementia Syndromes Rumination Is a Sticky Form of Spontaneous Thought Pain and Spontaneous Thought Spontaneous Thought in Contemplative Traditions Catching the Wandering Mind: Meditation as a Window into Spontaneous Thought Spontaneous Mental Experiences in Extreme and Unusual Environments Cultural Neurophenomenology of Psychedelic Thought: Guiding the “Unconstrained” Mind Through Ritual Context "Where do spontaneous thoughts come from? It may be surprising that the seemingly straightforward answers "from the mind" or "from the brain" are in fact an incredibly recent understanding of the origins of spontaneous thought. For nearly all of human history, our thoughts - especially the most sudden, insightful, and important - were almost universally ascribed to divine or other external sources. Only in the past few centuries have we truly taken responsibility for their own mental content, and finally localized thought to the central nervous system - laying the foundations for a protoscience of spontaneous thought. But enormous questions still loom: what, exactly, is spontaneous thought? Why does our brain engage in spontaneous forms of thinking, and when is this most likely to occur? And perhaps the question most interesting and accessible from a scientific perspective: how does the brain generate and evaluate its own spontaneous creations?Spontaneous thought includes our daytime fantasies and mind-wandering; the flashes of insight and inspiration familiar to the artist, scientist, and inventor; and the nighttime visions we call dreams.This Handbook brings together views from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, phenomenology, history, education, contemplative traditions, and clinical practice to begin to address the ubiquitous but poorly understood mental phenomena that we collectively call 'spontaneous thought.'In studying such an abstruse and seemingly impractical subject, we should remember that our capacity for spontaneity, originality, and creativity defines us as a species - and as individuals. Spontaneous forms of thought enable us to transcend not only the here and now of perceptual experience, but also the bonds of our deliberately-controlled and goal-directed cognition; they allow the space for us to be other than who we are, and for our minds to think beyond the limitations of our current viewpoints and beliefs."--Amazon.com "All physicians are involved in the management of pain at some level or the other, but of the various specialties and health professions, surgeons are at the frontline of delivering perioperative pain care. Perioperative Pain Management for General and Plastic Surgery offers a concise yet comprehensive overview of the surgical pain management field to help practitioners effectively plan and enhance perioperative pain control. Chapters provide guidance on solving common dilemmas facing surgeons who are managing patients with pain related problems and clinical decision-making, and explore essential topics required for the trainee and practitioner to quickly assess the patient with pain, to diagnose pain and painful conditions, determine the feasibility and safety of surgical procedure needed, and arrange for advanced pain management consults and care if needed. This text also explores the latest evolving techniques and appropriate utilization of modern equipment and technology to safely provide care. Highly accessible and written by experts in the field, Perioperative Pain Management for General and Plastic Surgery is an ideal resource for practicing surgeons, anesthesiologists, critical care personnel, residents, medical students"--Provided by publisher Where do spontaneous thoughts come from? It may be surprising that the seemingly straightforward answers, “from the mind” or “from the brain,” are in fact an incredibly recent, modern understanding of the origins of spontaneous thought. For nearly all of human history, our thoughts—especially the most sudden, insightful, and important—were almost universally ascribed to divine or other external sources. Scientific understanding of spontaneous thought has progressed by leaps and bounds in recent years, but big questions still loom: What, exactly, is spontaneous thought? How does the human brain generate, elaborate, and evaluate its own spontaneous creations? And why do spontaneous thoughts feature so prominently in mental life? This volume brings together views from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, history, education, contemplative traditions, and clinical practice in order to begin to address the ubiquitous, yet still mysterious, spontaneous workings of the mind. The Oxford Handbook of Spontaneous Thought is the first book of its kind to bring such highly diverse perspectives to bear on answering the what, why, and how of spontaneous mental phenomena. This Handbook is the first of its kind to bring together views from neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, phenomenology, history, education, contemplative traditions, and clinical practice to explore the ubiquitous but poorly understood mental phenomena that we collectively call 'spontaneous thought,' including mind-wandering, daydreaming, insight, creative thinking, and dreaming.