When trying to avoid an unwanted thought, people often reactively reject and replace the thought after it occurs. But proactively avoiding an association in the first place can be much more efficient, and help prevent the repetitive looping of unwanted thoughts, according to a new study publishing July 14 in PLOS Computational Biology by Isaac Fradkin and Eran Eldar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Research probes how people control unwanted thoughts
When trying to avoid an unwanted thought, people often reactively reject and replace the thought after it occurs. But proactively avoiding an association in the first place can be much more efficient, and help prevent the repetitive looping of unwanted thoughts, according to a new study publishing July 14 in PLOS Computational Biology by Isaac Fradkin and Eran Eldar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.