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Updated: May 29, 2026

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
The attitudinal consequences of thought suppression: a focus on thinness thoughts
Eddie M W Tong1, Mei-San Ang, Alvin S Y Chua
1National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Abstract:
Four studies examined whether thought suppression could enhance attitude accessibility and whether behaviours that are consistent with the more accessible attitudes would follow. Thinness was examined as the attitude object. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that suppression of positive thoughts about thinness increased the accessibility of the positive attitudes associated with thinness. Experiments 3 and 4 showed that suppression of positive thinness thoughts also elicited more health-promoting behaviours. The implications of the findings for attitude accessibility and the practical consequences of thought suppression are discussed.
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