Personality and Mind-Wandering Self-Perception: The Role of Meta-Awareness

Frontiers in Psychology

Miguel Ibaceta¹  Hector P. Madrid² 

[1] Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom;School of Business, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile;

关键词: mind-wandering;    personality;    meta-awareness;    structural equation modeling;    daydreaming;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.581129

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Mind-wandering is a psychological process involving the emergence of spontaneous thoughts in daily life. Research has shown that mind-wandering influences diverse psychological outcomes; however, less is known about possible individual differences that may drive mind-wandering. In this study, we argue that personality traits, expressed in neuroticism and openness to experience, may lead to the individual’s self-perception of their mind-wandering activity, due to meta-awareness processes. In a three-wave survey study with 273 college students, we gathered data which supported a positive association of both neuroticism and openness to experience with mind-wandering self-perception, mediated by the individual’s meta-awareness. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on spontaneous thinking by showing that mind-wandering processes may be a function of individual differences expressed in personality traits.

【 授权许可】

CC BY