Mental Health Clue Lies in Wandering Thoughts

Idle thoughts can reveal a surprising amount about our mental health, according to a study conducted at the University of Arizona. The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

In this study, 78 participants were trained to voice their thoughts aloud for 10 minutes while sitting alone in a room without access to electronic devices.

‘Capturing the dynamic properties of thinking can provide mental health state information.’

Researchers used audio equipment to record those thoughts, then transcribed the recordings and analyzed them for content. In total, more than 2,000 thoughts were analyzed.

"We wanted to mimic the small breaks we have throughout the day, such as when waiting in line at a caf�, taking a shower, lying in bed at night, and so on. These are all times during which external demands are minimal and internal thoughts tend to creep in," said first author Quentin Raffaelli, a graduate student in the Arizona Department of Psychology.

Researchers sought to measure thinking patterns especially ruminative thinking, which is a common symptom of depression.

Ruminating thoughts are excessive and intrusive thoughts about negative experiences and feelings.

Most participants spent 10 minutes thinking about the present or the future in an emotionally neutral way. Participants who scored high on a rumination questionnaire experienced thoughts that were more past-focused, negative, and self-centric.

Ruminative individuals had negative thoughts that lasted longer than positive thoughts, and those negative thoughts became progressively narrower in topic over time. On the other hand, the 10 minutes thoughts of some people seem to be productive and inspirational.

The study ended before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the results seem more relevant than ever as many people have experienced more solitary idle time over the last year than at any other point in their lives.

Later, they conducted a version of this study during the grips of the pandemic and are now in the process of analyzing the results.

The pandemic lockdown has affected people's mental well-being. Anxiety and depression increased during the pandemic with a surge in substance abuse.

Reinforcing a lifestyle that keeps people busy even during idle time can help to maintain mental well-being.

Based on these findings, researchers are interested in knowing how the default mode network, a brain network that plays an important role in internal thoughts works in people with dysfunctional thinking styles, such as rumination or intrusive thoughts.

To know this connection, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or resting-state fMRI, a popular brain imaging method that involves placing a person in a brain scanner for about 10 minutes.

This technique records brain activity patterns and connectivity as spontaneous thoughts emerge.

They hope by connecting the psychological characteristics of idle thought to the biological patterns of activity and connectivity changing across time can provide a fuller picture of consciousness and mental health.



Source: Medindia