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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
08:42

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Published on: May 19, 2015

Aging and repeated thought suppression success.

Ann E Lambert1, Frederick L Smyth, Jessica R Beadel

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America. ael4n@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu

Plos One
|June 19, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Attempting to suppress intrusive thoughts can backfire, increasing recurrence over time. Older adults showed less thought recurrence than younger adults, possibly due to age-related cognitive changes.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Intrusive thoughts are common experiences.
  • Thought suppression, while offering short-term relief, can paradoxically increase long-term thought recurrence.
  • Cognitive processing, particularly controlled processing involved in suppression, may decline with age, potentially leading to age-related differences in suppression effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age differences in the effectiveness of thought suppression over repeated attempts.
  • To examine how cognitive resource depletion affects younger and older adults' ability to suppress intrusive thoughts.
  • To explore the long-term outcomes of intentional thought suppression across different age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Employed multilevel modeling to analyze data from 40 older and 42 younger adults.
  • Assessed reactions to thought suppression across four distinct suppression sequences.
  • Compared outcomes during periods of active suppression versus free monitoring.

Main Results:

  • Age differences in thought suppression outcomes were more pronounced during suppression periods than during monitoring.
  • Younger adults reported longer and more frequent thought recurrences and greater difficulty with suppression.
  • Younger adults' suppression outcomes varied over time, whereas older adults' outcomes remained relatively stable.

Conclusions:

  • Older adults may experience reduced intrusive thought recurrence compared to younger adults.
  • Age-related changes in reactive control and distractibility could contribute to older adults' enhanced ability to manage intrusive thoughts.
  • Findings suggest that the long-term efficacy of thought suppression strategies may differ significantly across the lifespan.