Abstract

The intentionality and content dimensions of mind wandering (MW) are important determinants of its costs and benefits. However, the relationship of intentionality with various combinations of different content dimensions has never been examined. In this study, we aimed to examine whether the content of intentional and unintentional MW differs in terms of temporal orientation, emotional valence, and combinations of these two factors. Results indicated that intentional and unintentional MW did not differ in the frequency of negative valence, whereas a difference was observed in the frequency of negative valence combined with temporal orientation. Unintentional MW was 4.88 times more likely than intentional MW to generate negative past-oriented content, while intentional MW was 2.61 times more likely to generate negative future-oriented content. Furthermore, when compared to intentional MW, unintentional MW was 1.94 times more likely to generate neutral past-oriented content, while intentional MW was 2.17 times more likely to generate positive future-oriented content. These findings show that intentional and unintentional MW have different effects on the content generated, depending on whether the content dimensions are considered separately or combined, which opens crucial new perspectives on understanding the functionality of MW.