RESEARCH_FILE
Daniel M. Wegner
Harvard University
Known for:Thought-suppression research and ironic process theory — why trying not to think about something backfires
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“Their ex had everything I don’t have”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“I'm using a microscope on myself and a soft-focus memory on someone I've never had access to.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
When the ex comes up in conversation or thought, pause and name one specific thing you know about yourself that you do not actually know about them. Write it down. Don't finish the inventory.
Key findings
- 1987
In the original 'white bear' studies, people instructed to suppress a thought for five minutes experienced a stronger rebound of that thought afterward than people who were free to think it from the start. Paradoxical Effects of Thought Suppression ↗
- 1994
Ironic process theory proposes that mental control relies on a monitoring process that keeps searching for the unwanted thought — which paradoxically keeps that thought active and easy to access, especially when attention or willpower is taxed elsewhere. Ironic Processes of Mental Control ↗