When you go on a diet, you would want to eat more food, and when you want to forget a memory, it would remain more vivid in your mind. When someone tells you not to do something, you would want to do it more. What is that?
Daniel M. Wegner, a former professor of psychology at Harvard University, separated students into two test groups and gave different instruction to each group. The first group was instructed not to think of a polar bear, and the second group was instructed to think of a polar bear. The result was that the first group thought of a polar bear more often than the second group thought of it.
In the 1970s, a rumor circulated in the United States that a fast food company made hamburger patties from earthworms. The company immediately advertised that its hamburgers do not contain earthworms, but the sales constantly plunged. It was because people who saw the advertisement were rather reminded of earthworms. The company changed its strategy. It focused on promoting its milkshakes and french fries, turning people’s attention away from earthworms.
Attempts to suppress a thought can rather cause an increase in the frequency of the thought, and it is called the Paradoxical Effects of Thought Suppression. Experts advise that if you want to get away from bad habits or worries, you should not suppress your thoughts or urges but replace them with something else.
Everyone faces worries and concerns. Instead of being confined in disturbed minds and endless thoughts, raise your head and look at the sky, imagining the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, God is with us, and if we leave our worries to Him, He comforts our minds.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.Ps 55:22