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I have been thinking about Mary.

vs

I have been thinking of Mary.

Is there any slight difference? I think the above two sentences are almost the same.

Let's say that the speaker broke up with Mary two years ago, and that since then the speaker has been missing her. In this situation, which of the two sentences highlighted above better expresses the speaker's feelings?

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In many contexts, think of and think about are effectively interchangeable.

In other contexts, to think of something means you're at least aware of the thing, but may not have given it a great deal of consideration.

If you think about something this normally implies more focused or extended attention.

Given this context:

I broke up with Mary 2 years ago. Since then, I have been missing her.

I believe

I have been thinking about Mary.

and

I have been thinking of Mary.

are of identical meaning.

However in context unknown (or other situations), I would say

I have been thinking of Mary.

might imply greater knowledge of the situation.

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