[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.94,0:00:03.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, people want a lot of things out of life,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.57,0:00:07.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I think, more than anything else, they want happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.46,0:00:10.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Aristotle called happiness "the chief good," the end
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.79,0:00:14.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,towards which all other things aim.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.06,0:00:19.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,According to this view, the reason we want a big house
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.58,0:00:22.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or a nice car
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.21,0:00:24.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or a good job
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.29,0:00:26.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,isn't that these things are intrinsically valuable.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.74,0:00:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's that we expect them to bring us
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.26,0:00:30.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.72,0:00:33.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now in the last 50 years, we Americans have gotten
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.35,0:00:35.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a lot of the things that we want. We're richer.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.38,0:00:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We live longer. We have access to technology
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.45,0:00:40.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that would have seemed like science fiction
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.62,0:00:42.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just a few years ago.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.86,0:00:45.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The paradox of happiness is that even though the
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.28,0:00:48.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,objective conditions of our lives have improved dramatically,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.19,0:00:51.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we haven't actually gotten any happier.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.75,0:00:54.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe because these conventional notions of progress
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.67,0:00:57.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,haven't delivered big benefits in terms of happiness,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.15,0:00:59.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's been an increased interest in recent years
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.28,0:01:01.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in happiness itself.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.80,0:01:03.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People have been debating the causes of happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.83,0:01:06.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for a really long time, in fact for thousands of years,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.43,0:01:09.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it seems like many of those debates remain unresolved.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.89,0:01:11.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, as with many other domains in life, I think
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.95,0:01:15.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the scientific method has the potential to answer this question.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.16,0:01:17.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, in the last few years, there's been an explosion
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.69,0:01:20.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in research on happiness. For example, we've learned a lot
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.50,0:01:23.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about its demographics, how things like income
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.61,0:01:27.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and education, gender and marriage relate to it.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.03,0:01:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But one of the puzzles this has revealed is that
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.26,0:01:32.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,factors like these don't seem to have a particularly strong effect.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.19,0:01:34.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yes, it's better to make more money rather than less,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.63,0:01:37.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or to graduate from college instead of dropping out,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.34,0:01:40.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the differences in happiness tend to be small.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.10,0:01:43.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which leaves the question, what are the big causes of happiness?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.94,0:01:46.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that's a question we haven't really answered yet,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.64,0:01:49.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I think something that has the potential to be an answer
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.35,0:01:52.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that maybe happiness has an awful lot to do with
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.07,0:01:54.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the contents of our moment-to-moment experiences.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.51,0:01:56.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It certainly seems that we're going about our lives,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.51,0:02:00.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that what we're doing, who we're with, what we're thinking about,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.44,0:02:02.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have a big influence on our happiness, and yet
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.80,0:02:05.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these are the very factors that have been very difficult,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.03,0:02:07.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in fact almost impossible, for scientists to study.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.42,0:02:10.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few years ago, I came up with a way to study people's happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.48,0:02:13.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moment to moment as they're going about their daily lives
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.06,0:02:15.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a massive scale all over the world, something we'd never
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.80,0:02:18.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,been able to do before. Called trackyourhappiness.org,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.59,0:02:22.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it uses the iPhone to monitor people's happiness in real time.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.87,0:02:25.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does this work? Basically, I send people signals
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.66,0:02:28.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at random points throughout the day, and then I ask them
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.10,0:02:30.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a bunch of questions about their moment-to-moment experience
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.39,0:02:32.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the instant just before the signal.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.92,0:02:35.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The idea is that, if we can watch how people's happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.73,0:02:38.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,goes up and down over the course of the day,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.36,0:02:40.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,minute to minute in some cases,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.08,0:02:42.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and try to understand how what people are doing,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.23,0:02:45.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who they're with, what they're thinking about, and all
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.07,0:02:47.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the other factors that describe our day, how those might
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.24,0:02:49.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,relate to those changes in happiness, we might be able
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.96,0:02:51.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to discover some of the things that really have
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.50,0:02:53.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a big influence on happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.81,0:02:56.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've been fortunate with this project to collect
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.11,0:02:58.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,quite a lot of data, a lot more data of this kind than I think
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.97,0:03:00.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has ever been collected before,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.83,0:03:04.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,over 650,000 real-time reports
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.05,0:03:06.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from over 15,000 people.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.93,0:03:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's not just a lot of people, it's a really diverse group,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.04,0:03:13.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people from a wide range of ages, from 18 to late 80s,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.53,0:03:16.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a wide range of incomes, education levels,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.45,0:03:19.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people who are married, divorced, widowed, etc.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.52,0:03:21.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They collectively represent every one of
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.78,0:03:26.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,86 occupational categories and hail from over 80 countries.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.64,0:03:29.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I'd like to do with the rest of my time with you today
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.54,0:03:31.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is talk a little bit about one of the areas that we've been
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.67,0:03:34.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,investigating, and that's mind-wandering.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.86,0:03:37.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As human beings, we have this unique ability
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.26,0:03:40.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to have our minds stray away from the present.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.19,0:03:42.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This guy is sitting here working on his computer,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.12,0:03:43.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and yet he could be thinking about
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.17,0:03:45.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the vacation he had last month,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.86,0:03:47.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,wondering what he's going to have for dinner.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.82,0:03:51.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe he's worried that he's going bald. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.66,0:03:54.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This ability to focus our attention on something other
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.44,0:03:57.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than the present is really amazing. It allows us to learn
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.70,0:04:02.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and plan and reason in ways that no other species of animal can.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.19,0:04:04.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet it's not clear what the relationship is
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.59,0:04:08.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,between our use of this ability and our happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.50,0:04:10.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You've probably heard people suggest that you should
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.36,0:04:12.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stay focused on the present. "Be here now,"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.85,0:04:14.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you've probably heard a hundred times.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.34,0:04:17.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe, to really be happy, we need to stay completely
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.02,0:04:20.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,immersed and focused on our experience in the moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.53,0:04:22.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe these people are right. Maybe mind-wandering
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.36,0:04:24.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a bad thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.09,0:04:26.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On the other hand, when our minds wander,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.51,0:04:29.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're unconstrained. We can't change the physical reality
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.17,0:04:32.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in front of us, but we can go anywhere in our minds.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.56,0:04:34.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since we know people want to be happy, maybe
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.37,0:04:37.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when our minds wander, they're going to someplace happier than the place
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.06,0:04:39.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that they're leaving. It would make a lot of sense.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.30,0:04:40.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, maybe the pleasures of the mind
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.80,0:04:45.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,allow us to increase our happiness with mind-wandering.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.22,0:04:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, since I'm a scientist, I'd like to try to
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.23,0:04:49.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,resolve this debate with some data, and in particular
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.91,0:04:52.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd like to present some data to you from three questions
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.40,0:04:54.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I ask with Track Your Happiness. Remember, this is from
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.61,0:04:57.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of moment-to-moment experience in people's real lives.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.26,0:05:00.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are three questions. The first one is a happiness question:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.29,0:05:03.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How do you feel, on a scale ranging from very bad
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.16,0:05:07.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to very good? Second, an activity question:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.30,0:05:09.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What are you doing, on a list of 22 different activities
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.83,0:05:13.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including things like eating and working and watching TV?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.06,0:05:16.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And finally a mind-wandering question:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.64,0:05:19.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Are you thinking about something other
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.29,0:05:21.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than what you're currently doing?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.91,0:05:25.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,People could say no -- in other words, I'm focused only on my task --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.35,0:05:27.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or yes -- I am thinking about something else --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.88,0:05:30.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the topic of those thoughts are pleasant,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.34,0:05:31.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,neutral or unpleasant.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.76,0:05:37.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Any of those yes responses are what we called mind-wandering.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.22,0:05:39.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what did we find?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.69,0:05:41.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This graph shows happiness on the vertical axis,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.99,0:05:44.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you can see that bar there representing how happy
Dialogue: 0,0:05:44.23,0:05:45.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people are when they're focused on the present,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.56,0:05:47.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when they're not mind-wandering.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.48,0:05:51.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As it turns out, people are substantially less happy
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.20,0:05:55.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when their minds are wandering than when they're not.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.94,0:05:58.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now you might look at this result and say, okay, sure,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.54,0:06:00.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on average people are less happy when they're mind-wandering,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.96,0:06:02.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but surely when their minds are straying away
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.63,0:06:04.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from something that wasn't very enjoyable to begin with,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.75,0:06:08.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at least then mind-wandering should be doing something good for us.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.51,0:06:11.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nope. As it turns out,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:11.21,0:06:12.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people are less happy when they're mind-wandering
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.90,0:06:15.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no matter what they're doing. For example,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.93,0:06:18.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people don't really like commuting to work very much.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:18.11,0:06:20.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's one of their least enjoyable activities, and yet
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.87,0:06:23.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are substantially happier when they're focused
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.40,0:06:25.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only on their commute than when their mind is going
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.76,0:06:28.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,off to something else.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.81,0:06:30.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's amazing.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.59,0:06:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how could this be happening? I think part of the reason,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.44,0:06:36.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a big part of the reason, is that when our minds wander,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.83,0:06:39.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we often think about unpleasant things, and they are
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.69,0:06:43.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,enormously less happy when they do that,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.30,0:06:45.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our worries, our anxieties, our regrets,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.96,0:06:48.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and yet even when people are thinking about something
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.92,0:06:51.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,neutral, they're still considerably less happy
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.79,0:06:53.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than when they're not mind-wandering at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.76,0:06:56.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even when they're thinking about something they would describe as pleasant,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.60,0:06:58.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're actually just slightly less happy
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.80,0:07:02.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than when they aren't mind-wandering.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:02.06,0:07:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If mind-wandering were a slot machine, it would be like
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.12,0:07:07.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having the chance to lose 50 dollars, 20 dollars
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.15,0:07:13.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or one dollar. Right? You'd never want to play. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:13.30,0:07:15.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I've been talking about this, suggesting, perhaps,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.98,0:07:18.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that mind-wandering causes unhappiness, but all
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.79,0:07:21.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've really shown you is that these two things are correlated.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.56,0:07:24.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's possible that's the case, but it might also be the case
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.34,0:07:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that when people are unhappy, then they mind-wander.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.80,0:07:29.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe that's what's really going on. How could we ever
Dialogue: 0,0:07:29.16,0:07:32.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,disentangle these two possibilites?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.25,0:07:34.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, one fact that we can take advantage of, I think a fact
Dialogue: 0,0:07:34.60,0:07:37.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'll all agree is true, is that time goes forward, not
Dialogue: 0,0:07:37.56,0:07:41.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,backward. Right? The cause has to come before the effect.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.55,0:07:44.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're lucky in this data we have many responses from each person,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.98,0:07:48.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and so we can look and see, does mind-wandering
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.18,0:07:50.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tend to precede unhappiness, or does unhappiness
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.67,0:07:52.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tend to precede mind-wandering, to get some insight
Dialogue: 0,0:07:52.85,0:07:55.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into the causal direction.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.02,0:07:58.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As it turns out, there is a strong relationship between
Dialogue: 0,0:07:58.22,0:08:01.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mind-wandering now and being unhappy a short time later,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.91,0:08:05.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,consistent with the idea that mind-wandering is causing people to be unhappy.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.63,0:08:08.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In contrast, there's no relationship between being unhappy
Dialogue: 0,0:08:08.79,0:08:11.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,now and mind-wandering a short time later.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.80,0:08:14.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In other words, mind-wandering very likely seems to be
Dialogue: 0,0:08:14.12,0:08:19.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an actual cause, and not merely a consequence, of unhappiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.96,0:08:22.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few minutes ago, I likened mind-wandering
Dialogue: 0,0:08:22.18,0:08:24.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a slot machine you'd never want to play.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.45,0:08:26.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, how often do people's minds wander?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.75,0:08:31.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Turns out, they wander a lot. In fact, really a lot.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.21,0:08:33.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Forty-seven percent of the time, people are thinking
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.90,0:08:37.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about something other than what they're currently doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:37.31,0:08:39.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How does that depend on what people are doing?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:39.75,0:08:42.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This shows the rate of mind-wandering across 22 activities
Dialogue: 0,0:08:42.50,0:08:46.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ranging from a high of 65 percent — (Laughter) —
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.50,0:08:49.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when people are taking a shower, brushing their teeth,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.01,0:08:51.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to 50 percent when they're working,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.91,0:08:54.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to 40 percent when they're exercising,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.95,0:08:56.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the way down to this one short bar on the right
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.87,0:08:58.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I think some of you are probably laughing at.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.86,0:09:01.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ten percent of the time people's minds are wandering
Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.25,0:09:05.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when they're having sex. (Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.82,0:09:08.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there's something I think that's quite interesting in this graph,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.76,0:09:11.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that is, basically with one exception,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.80,0:09:13.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no matter what people are doing, they're mind-wandering
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.98,0:09:17.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at least 30 percent of the time, which suggests, I think,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.66,0:09:20.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that mind-wandering isn't just frequent, it's ubiquitous.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.49,0:09:24.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It pervades basically everything that we do.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.22,0:09:27.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In my talk today, I've told you a little bit about mind-wandering,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.42,0:09:29.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a variable that I think turns out to be fairly important
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.47,0:09:31.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the equation for happiness.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.12,0:09:33.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My hope is that over time, by tracking people's
Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.14,0:09:36.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moment-to-moment happiness and their experiences
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.19,0:09:39.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in daily life, we'll be able to uncover a lot of important causes of happiness,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.59,0:09:42.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then in the end, a scientific understanding of happiness
Dialogue: 0,0:09:42.52,0:09:45.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,will help us create a future that's not only richer
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.22,0:09:48.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and healthier, but happier as well.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:48.08,0:09:51.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. (Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:51.30,0:09:55.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)