You’ve prepared a crucial presentation for a work meeting. You’ve done everything right, including doing your research, ensuring your notes are in place, and that your internet connection is stable. However, hours before your meeting, you find yourself anxious, obsessing over the meeting. What if the internet fails? What if you forgot something?
You keep trying to consciously shut out these thoughts, but they keep emerging with a rather vindictive vengeance. You can’t rid yourself of the nervous flood of thoughts, no matter how hard you try. The feeling prevails. Why is it so difficult to get rid of a thought once it has entered your mind?
That’s your White Bear, now also called the pink elephant paradox. No, I am not being extra creative or simply picking out interesting animals. It’s a psychological concept, and a common occurrence in people. Also called the ironic process theory, this process of thinking occurs when you try hard to suppress a thought. However, instead of vanishing, the frequency of the thought just increases. These thoughts prevail in variety of situations, and are exacerbated, and usually created in moments of stress and anxiety. Unless the person finds a way to break out of these thoughts, they can get trapped in this cycle of trying to suppress the thought, and yet, still thinking about it.
So for instance, your ‘white bear’ is when you can’t stop thinking about a past relationship, or when you know that you shouldn’t make an expensive purchase, but you really want to do so.
The story behind the white bear
In 1863, Russian author Fyodor Dosteovsky had written in an essay, “Try to pose for yourself this task: Not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.”
A century later, American social psychologist and Harvard professor Daniel Wegner developed this theory and published his findings in 1987. His study involved participants taking part in two experiments. In the first experiment, the participants were asked not to think about a white bear. In the second experiment, participants were asked to think about a white bear.
The research found that participants were more preoccupied with thinking about a white bear in the first experiment, despite being asked to not think of one. This showed that the effort in trying to suppress a thought ‘has paradoxical effects as a self-control strategy’, and can lead to preoccupation despite the person’s best effort to not think about the thought.
Wegner put forward the idea that constantly trying to suppress a thought has paradoxical effects, and can even lead to an obsessive or intrusive way of thinking. His ideas were based on Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s work, who had said that the unconscious could hide thoughts, but had not quite addressed clearly what happens when people deliberately try to suppress a thought.
Wagner asserted that when you try telling yourself to not think about something, one part of your mind agrees. However, another part of your mind will keep checking if you’re not thinking of this thought, and will continue to do so. In the end, you’re constantly confronted with the thought that you wanted to avoid in the first place.
What happens when we are constantly faced with these ‘white bears’?
Well, simply put, you’ll be overwhelmed by the white bears.
“We begin to become mentally hyperaware of whether or not that thought is popping into our minds, which can often bring on feelings of fatigue, overwhelm, and constantly being ‘on’ due to the extra cognitive resource this requires,” explains Lucy Bolton, assistant professor in psychology from the Heriot-Watt University, Dubai.
As we focus on not allowing that particular thought to come to our consciousness, we may start to experience a rebound effect where our neurons make that thought even more accessible in our minds, says Bolton. As a result, we overthink while ironically trying not to think about something, and these thoughts are charged with intensity.
As we focus on not allowing that particular thought to come to our consciousness, we may start to experience a rebound effect where our neurons make that thought even more accessible in our minds
These thoughts could include repetitive thoughts, images or impulses, which can result in the propagation of negative thought patterns. These thoughts patterns are found more in people who do not practise mindfulness, which requires them to become aware of sights, sounds, thoughts and emotions, rather than trying to suppress them. So, if you deliberately keep trying to erase a memory, you actually end up remembering it more in the long run. As a result, you keep reliving unpleasant memories, experiences, hurt, or mistakes as your mind keeps replaying them.
“This is the paradox of thought suppression, and we ultimately end up with a perceived loss of control over our own thoughts,” says Bolton. The attempt to suppress certain thoughts leads us to feelings of frustration, discomfort and a sense of helplessness when this process is unsuccessful. As the person is continuously plagued by such thoughts, they are unable to focus on tasks at hand, are easily distracted. Moreover, as these thoughts begin to take centrestage, the person will find it hard to focus on anything else, which will disrupt their ability to make decisions. The person will be swamped by such thoughts, and ultimately make the wrong decision.
In more severe cases, continuous attempts of such thought suppression can result in anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
How can we counter the thought paradox suppression?
Understanding the harmful effects of thought suppression is important these days, as we face information overload from media, technology, and social networks, says Bolton. “Not only are we faced with masses of information that can be overwhelming or distressing, but many people also feel under pressure to present a flawless image through social media platforms, with feelings of inadequacy leading to thought suppression around insecurities,” she adds.
Although suppression may be commonly experienced by people, it is not an effective coping strategy.
So here’s how you can counter intrusive thoughts:
The Blue Dolphin rule: Counter your white bears with blue dolphins. This simply means, consider a new image or a point of focus. It is a ‘replacement’ or your ‘go-to’ thought.
Ensure that you select something that is so completely distracting that you can focus your attention on something else, altogether. Consider an alternate train of thought, which will prevent the influx of negativity. For instance, instead of thinking how nervous you are about your presentation, focus on how excited you are, as this is a big opportunity for you. This helps transform your negative energy into positive energy.
Being mindful: Practising mindfulness will help and encourage an individual to observe their thoughts and emotions. This helps them to build a non-judgemental point of view. So, when you’re faced with an intrusive thought, rather than suppressing or controlling it, tell yourself that it doesn’t control you.
A 2017 study conducted by American researchers Lisa-Marie Emerson, Connor Heapy and Gemma Garcia-Soriano showed that mindfulness, self-reflection can protect people from the onslaught of intrusive thoughts. Mindfulness moves the focus from the jarring thought to the present, and helps to alleviate the fear and anxiety associated with it.
Look for positive substitutions: If you feel lost in the overwhelming negative thoughts, look at how you can replace them with a positive thoughts, explains psychologist Hannah Rose on the American medical research site, NessLabs. When you face a negative thought, look for a corresponding positive response. If you tell yourself that you’re a “failure”, you can counter the thought with, “I made a mistake, but I am learning”. You can keep telling yourself that you “can work harder” at something, rather than admitting defeat and thinking something is too hard.
Put aside time: Wegner had said that some people can set aside specific times, maybe an hour each day, for thinking through their personal white bears. This time allows you to defer the obsession to a more convenient time and get it out of your way for now.
Avoid multi-tasking: According to Wegner, people whose brains are regularly under strain, tend to dwell on darker thoughts more often.
Journaling: Write, or articulate all the reasons why what you fear will not happen. This will help you remind yourself that everything you worry about happening, might not actually happen. Talk yourself off the ledge.
