Why can’t I stop thinking about it when I try not to?
· Source: Wegner et al., JPSP, 1987
Telling yourself not to think about something tends to bring it back. In a classic experiment, one specific distraction worked better than trying harder.
Why can’t I stop thinking about it when I try not to?
Pushed away, it came back more. People told not to think of a white bear still did, more than once a minute. Afterwards they thought about it more than people asked to think of it from the start. A planned distraction made that rebound smaller. Say it in full, then give your mind a job. Don’t argue with the thought. Say it once, then turn to one small task you can see and finish. Let it be said. Then turn the page. Halflight keeps it under today’s date, so you can let it go for the evening.