How to Trash Negative Thoughts

A recent study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, described an easy technique to rid oneself of negative thoughts: write them down and throw them away. The study, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, asked people to write a thought about themselves (e.g., perceived body image) and examined the lasting impact of their written thoughts.  For those participants who literally threw away or electronically deleted their written thoughts, attitudes about themselves were no longer influenced by their written response, regardless of whether those thoughts were positive or negative. In contrast, those participants who protected their written thoughts were influenced by their written negative or positive thoughts when measuring their attitudes about self. Counselors may find this technique useful in helping clients address intrusive, recurring thoughts. The physical act of getting rid of the thought seems to allow the mind to move on to other things.

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