In this episode, Wendy speaks with cognitive scientist, contemplative practitioner, and ballet dancer Marieke Van Vugt. Marieke is a pioneer in studying mind wandering and meditation through computer modeling, and is also advancing participatory research through her collaborations with Tibetan monastics. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• her braided interests in meditation, dance, and cognitive science;



• computer modeling of mind and meditation;



• exploring distraction, mind wandering, and becoming aware;



• how thoughts can get "stuck" in our minds;



• creating a meditating computer;



• the relevance of stuck thoughts to various mental disorders;



• trauma through the lens of predictive models of mind;



• analytical meditation and Tibetan monastic debate;



• collaborating with monastics in research;



• humility and fluidity of mind;



• re-thinking the tasks used in cognitive science;



• the phenomenon of brain synchrony;



• dance and embodiment;



• the roots of thinking in the body;



• problems with abstraction in science;



• curiosity vs. the critical mind in ballet;



• flow, responsiveness, and compassion;



• and advice to young scholars.

Full show notes and resources