The Washington PostThe Washington Post

How to be alone with your thoughts

By Richard Sima

22 Dec 2022 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

Studies show that thinking for pleasure is good for us. The Washington Post investigates how we can train ourselves to be alone with our thoughts, and the benefits of it.

Our minds can conjure up incredible daydreams, fond memories and extended reveries, and studies show that this kind of thinking for pleasure is good for us.

"If we're not the only species, we're one of the very few species that has these kinds of internal extended lines of thought, not just about things that have happened or things that might happen, but also things that will never happen, or that could have happened," said Erin Westgate, a social psychologist at the University of Florida.

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