When your mind is wandering, your brain’s “default mode” network is active. Its discovery 20 years ago inspired a raft of research into networks of brain regions and how they interact with each other.

What Is the Default Mode Network? The default mode network (DMN) is a system of connected brain areas that show increased activity when a person is not focused on what is happening around them. The ...

A study published June 25 in the American Journal of Psychiatry provides new insights into a long-standing question in psychiatric research: What is the underlying neurobiological mechanism of ...

We have all experienced boredom – that feeling of waning interest or decreased mental stimulation. Eventually we lose focus, we disengage. Time seems to pass slowly, and we may even start to feel ...

Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Do you ever wonder why you come up with some of your best ideas in the shower? What about ...

Pregnancy caused women to lose gray matter, and reshaped the brain’s “default mode network,” a set of brain regions that are most active when the mind is wandering. When you purchase through links on ...

A recent study published in PLOS One failed to find evidence that caffeine consumption is linked to changes in a brain connectivity marker associated with attention in early adolescents. Researchers ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Whenever you’re actively performing a task—say, lifting weights at the gym or taking a hard exam—the parts of your brain required to ...