Why Aren’t People Good at Thinking Just for Fun?

Thinking for pleasure can be a powerful tool to shape our emotions—no battery life required

Before cellphones offered endless distraction, people found more pleasant diversions in their own minds. Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash

If you find it harder to be pleasantly lost in your thoughts or daydreams these days, you’re not alone.

“This is part of our cognitive toolkit that’s underdeveloped, and it’s kind of sad,” said Erin Westgate, a psychology professor at the University of Florida.