Just think: the challenges of the disengaged mind
Timothy Wilson and colleagues report eleven studies in which participants spent six to fifteen minutes alone with nothing to do but think. On average they did not enjoy it, rated everyday external activities as much more enjoyable, and many broke the rules. In study 10, among participants who said they would pay to avoid a mild shock, 12 of 18 men and 6 of 24 women gave themselves at least one during fifteen minutes alone. The shock result is the contested part; the broader finding that unstructured thinking is less enjoyable than people expect has held up.
Timothy Wilson and colleagues report eleven studies in which participants spent six to fifteen minutes alone with nothing to do but think. On average they did not enjoy it, rated everyday external activities as much more enjoyable, and many broke the rules. In study 10, among participants who said they would pay to avoid a mild shock, 12 of 18 men and 6 of 24 women gave themselves at least one during fifteen minutes alone. The shock result is the contested part; the broader finding that unstructured thinking is less enjoyable than people expect has held up.
Written from the verified research record and the authors' 2014 reply, read on 8 October 2026.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
doi:10.1126/science.1250830. Eleven studies, six to fifteen minutes; study 10, 12 of 18 men and 6 of 24 women self-administered at least one shock, among participants who said they would pay to avoid it.