The default mode network (DFN) is the neuroscientific term for the parts of your brain that are active when you are not performing a task, so the brain is ‘resting’. The problem is that in this state our brain does not rest, but becomes active in ‘rumination’ mode, which can be unpleasant. So most people don’t feel comfortable just sitting there, they prefer some kind of stimulus like music, video games, social media, etc. I’ve described all this and the solutions for it in the previous post Calm down your “default mode”. I wanted to know more about this and that’s why I had a conversation with Gemini. This was with Gemini 3.0 in “thinking mode”, with the deep research tool activated so that it doesn’t just use its own training data, but searches thoroughly for relevant sources on the internet.
I was specifically interested in many areas of overlap between descriptions of the DFN and what meditation teachers call “monkey mind.” This is what happens to most people when they try to meditate. You will receive basic instructions such as ‘sit upright with your eyes closed and watch your breath flow in and out’. But as soon as you try to do that, your mind is flooded with thoughts, about the idiot who cut you off in traffic, the rude thing someone said yesterday, worries about your upcoming tax bill, etc. This behavior of the mind is called monkey mind because it chatters loudly and jumps around. From what I have read this is quite consistent with the descriptions of the DFN’s activities.
This led me to ask Gemini, “meditation teachers talk about ‘monkey mind’, the incessant chatter we notice in our minds when we try to meditate. This is very similar to the activity of the default mode network. Is that comparison valid?”. The resulting report is here.
I thought in-depth research did a great job. The answer is largely yes, with some caveats. A hyperactive DFN causes restlessness and inability to relax in all of us, and is even more problematic in conditions like ADHD. And meditation techniques to calm the monkey mind also significantly reduce the activity of the DFN, leading to a relaxing feeling.
The qualification is that the DFN still has utility. From the report: “The evolutionary evidence from non-human primates further suggests that the ‘monkey mind’ is a biological reality rooted in an evolutionarily conserved ‘sentinel’ and ‘simulative’ system.” It can help us learn from the past and make better plans for the future. But “The ‘monkey mind’ only becomes pathological in the modern human context when it ruminates on non-survival-related psychological threats, leading to chronic stress and unhappiness.” So the idea is not to try to get rid of the DFN’s activity, but to train it and turn it into a useful helper: “the chattering monkey can indeed be transformed into a focused and calm observer.”
Mindfulness and meditation are important tools for doing this, and I will discuss my research on that in future posts.
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I am a mechanical engineer, born in 1953, Ph. D, Stanford, 1980. I have been active in the field of mechanical CAE for decades. I also have a lifelong interest in outdoor activities and fitness. I had both hips replaced and a heart valve replacement due to a genetic condition. This blog chronicles my adventures in staying active despite these bumps in the road. View all posts by BionicOldGuy
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