Christoff et al. [1] reject our family-resemblances framework for mind-wandering research [2] and instead seek to characterize mind-wandering with a necessary defining feature. As an example, they point to their ‘dynamic framework’ [3] that defines mind-wandering as thoughts that ‘proceed in a relatively free, unconstrained fashion.’ We outline three primary points of disagreement with their […]

The recent surge of scientific research into mind-wandering has occurred amidst a definitional haze. ‘Mind-wandering’ has been used to refer to a wide range of mental phenomena, from attentional lapses to purposeful, task-unrelated planning; from free-flowing thought and creative idea generation to highly constrained, perseverative rumination. Should we continue to group these disparate phenomena under […]