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Related Experiment Videos

The suppression of exciting thoughts.

D M Wegner1, J W Shortt, A W Blake

  • 1Department of Psychology, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|March 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Trying to suppress exciting thoughts, like those about sex, increases physiological arousal (skin conductance level). This effect is temporary but can re-emerge with thought intrusions, potentially linking suppression to chronic emotional issues.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychophysiology

Background:

  • Emotional regulation is crucial for mental well-being.
  • Thought suppression is a common but potentially maladaptive coping strategy.
  • Understanding the physiological impact of thought suppression is key to explaining certain emotional disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of suppressing exciting thoughts on sympathetic arousal.
  • To determine if thought suppression impacts physiological responses differently than engaging with thoughts.
  • To explore the long-term effects and potential clinical implications of thought suppression.

Main Methods:

  • Participants engaged in think-aloud protocols, either suppressing or focusing on specific thoughts (e.g., sexual content).

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  • Skin conductance level (SCL) was measured as an index of sympathetic arousal.
  • Experiments varied conditions such as topic salience, report privacy, and time course of effects.

    • Main Results:

    • Suppressing exciting thoughts, similar to thinking about them, significantly elevated SCL compared to neutral topics.
    • SCL elevation from suppression was independent of perceived report privacy and dissipated over minutes.
    • Subsequent intrusions of suppressed thoughts, but not deliberate engagement, were linked to sustained SCL elevations.

    Conclusions:

    • Thought suppression of exciting content leads to immediate physiological arousal.
    • The temporary nature of this arousal, coupled with re-elevation upon intrusion, suggests a potential mechanism for chronic emotional issues.
    • Findings imply that suppression may contribute to conditions like phobias and obsessive preoccupations.