What do you think about when your mind wanders? Chances are, you reflect back on past situations, think about plans for the future or plumb your inner psyche to take stock of your thoughts and feelings. And many of these ruminations likely involve other people.
When our brains are not otherwise occupied, a network of neural regions called the default mode network automatically comes online. It enables us to turn our attention inward and daydream, but it also helps us to project out and put ourselves in other people’s shoes.
In addition to their role in the default mode network, two of the areas—the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)—are also important processing centers for social information. The TPJ helps us evaluate other people’s personality traits and emotions and infer their states of mind whereas the mPFC becomes active when we engage in self-reflection and think about our own qualities and social standing.
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