Podcast Summary: “Doing nothing: the benefits of boredom”

Podcast: What's That Rash?
Host: ABC News
Episode Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the value and science behind “doing nothing,” investigating whether staring into space or allowing the mind to wander is beneficial for brain health, creativity, and memory. Prompted by a listener’s question about replacing phone time with true downtime, the hosts examine the neuroscience of mind-wandering, the risks and benefits of unstructured thought, and give practical advice on how to create these moments in daily life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining “Doing Nothing”

• The concept of doing nothing is more complex than it sounds; true “nothing” is hard to define scientifically.
• Sleeping is not “nothing”—the episode focuses on conscious wakeful periods (e.g., staring into space).

“If we truly did nothing at all, we would die.”
— (A, 03:03)

• Research suggests that when we’re at rest (not actively focused on a task), our brains enter a distinctive, active state called the “default mode network” (DMN).

2. The Default Mode Network: Your Brain’s Idle Engine

• When participants in studies are instructed to do nothing (e.g., stare at a dot), fMRI scans show the DMN lighting up.
• The DMN allows different brain regions to interact in novel ways, fostering creativity, memory consolidation, and emotional processing.
• DMN activity varies by individual and mental state:
  • Depressed individuals show lower DMN activity (less interconnection).
  • Creative people show more active DMN function.

“When you are doing nothing…your default mode network seems to be at a high level, allowing cross talk between different parts of the brain.”
— (B, 05:10)

3. Mind Wandering: Mental Time Travel

• During “doing nothing,” minds wander in time: reflecting on the past, contemplating the future.
• The focus of mind-wandering evolves with age:
  • Young adults focus more on the future (self-oriented).
  • With age, thoughts become more about social groups and the past.
• Mind-wandering supports memory consolidation and retrieval.

"It sometimes wanders to embarrassing moments that might have been 20 years ago... It’s thought to be an extremely healthy part of brain development and brain maintenance."
— (B, 09:12)

4. Doing Nothing vs. Mindfulness Meditation

• Mind-wandering is not mindfulness meditation, though both may seem similar.
• Mindfulness is a deliberate practice, often with therapeutic aims, and may require guidance—especially for people with negative or intrusive thoughts.
• Downtime for the brain is unstructured and taskless, without an imposed agenda.

“Don’t confuse the two. Not to criticize it… but this is something different that’s going on.”
— (B, 09:43)

5. Boredom, Modern Life, and “Raw Dogging”

• Modern life offers endless opportunities to avoid boredom (e.g., phones, music, podcasts).
• “Raw dogging” flights = enduring them without entertainment as a way to ‘tough it out’ with unfiltered thought.
• Despite constant stimulation, people may be more bored than ever and uncomfortable with it.

“There’s a little bit of research… suggesting that we're more bored now, despite all these things that we're doing, than we have been in the past.”
— (B, 15:46)

6. Benefits of Boredom and Mind Wandering

• Problem-solving: letting the mind wander can lead to creative solutions.
• Supports memory formation and integration.
• Encourages brain plasticity—especially important with aging.
• Even very brief periods (minutes) are likely sufficient for these benefits.

“Minutes, it’s not hours and hours of each day.”
— (B, 18:55)

7. Not Everyone Enjoys Doing Nothing

• A study found that people may dislike being alone with their thoughts:
  • Many (especially men) preferred delivering themselves mild electric shocks over spending 15 minutes alone with their thoughts.
  • 67% of men and 25% of women volunteered for shocks; one man self-administered 190 shocks in 15 minutes.

“One person chose an electric shock every four seconds over being alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes.”
— (A, 13:09)

8. Creating Space for Mind-Wandering

• Doing nothing doesn’t mean sitting still:
  • Walking without headphones, performing light chores, pottering around the house—can all create conditions for beneficial mind-wandering.
• Avoid turning downtime into another “productivity hack”—over-optimization can be counterproductive.

“Maybe that’s the way to start as well… Go, this is cool. This is actually good for me. Chill out and sort of let it take you when the mood strikes.”
— (A, 19:23)

9. How Often and How Long to Do Nothing?

• No precise prescription—akin to exercise, any amount is better than none.
• Moments (a few minutes at a time) are likely enough—do it whenever you can.
• Try not to feel guilty or unproductive during these intervals.

“Probably a bit like exercise. It's whenever you can do it.”
— (B, 19:11)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Definition of doing nothing:
  “It's quite literally by definition nothing that we're trying to grab here.”
  — (A, 03:55)

• On modern distractions:
  “We use every moment of time… going for a walk, we'll put the headphones in… You go to the gym, you're listening…”
  — (B, 15:32)

• On letting yourself do nothing:
  “Since I've actually read the literature on this, I just feel less guilty about those moments where my mind wanders.”
  — (B, 19:14)

Suggestions for Practice (Pragmatic Tips)

• Replace some phone or media time with brief periods of quiet mind-wandering.
• Allow your mind to drift during simple, repetitive tasks (folding laundry, walking, sitting quietly).
• Don’t force it or try to engineer it as a task; let it happen naturally.
• Notice if your memory or problem-solving improves after these unstructured periods.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Defining “doing nothing” & the DMN: 03:03 – 06:23
• Mind-wandering and mental time travel: 06:38 – 09:19
• Real-life analogs & mind-wandering vs. mindfulness: 09:37 – 10:47
• The discomfort of doing nothing (shock study): 11:36 – 13:09
• Boredom, modern life, “raw dogging”: 14:10 – 15:46
• Benefits of doing nothing: 16:26 – 17:30
• Practical suggestions: 17:30 – 19:37

Memorable Moments

• The electric shock study (13:01–13:16): Hilarious and telling about discomfort with idleness.
• Hosts joke about productivity and “raw dogging” (15:01–15:46): Adds levity to brain science.
• Listeners’ cod liver oil memories (20:29–21:50): A fun segue into audience engagement.

Episode Takeaway

Giving yourself moments of idle mind-wandering isn't just "doing nothing"—it's part of a healthy, creative, and adaptive brain. Rather than viewing downtime as wasted, see it as brain maintenance, and allow yourself a few minutes daily, guilt-free.

“This has been a very good chat and makes me feel very, very good about not doing very much at all.”
— (A, 18:31)