Why we cannot block thoughts: Tolstoy’s White Bear

A curious paradox that is at the root of many psychological problems.

A very curious anecdote is circulating about the legendary Russian writer Leo Tolstoy.. When he was a child, his older brother told him to sit in a corner and not get up until he stopped thinking about a white bear.

As you can imagine, the innocent young Tolstoy spent hours and hours sitting in the corner, and he couldn't get the white bear out of his mind. he could not get the white bear out of his mind.. Simply, the more he tried to block the mental image of that animal, the more intense it became. How overwhelming, isn't it?

The paradox of thought blocking

Many, many people face this paradox on a daily basis, with all kinds of anguished thoughts and ideas. all kinds of distressing thoughts and ideas that they can't get out of their heads, no matter how hard they try.no matter how hard they try.

That seems to be the problem: the more we strive to "suppress" an idea, paradoxically the more attention we are paying to it.and therefore the longer it will stay with us.

Daniel Wegner's psychological experiment

In the 1980s, a social psychologist at Harvard University, Daniel Wegner, coordinated an experiment on thought suppression, inspired by Leo Tolstoy's anecdote.

You can imagine the results of the experiment: when we try to suppress or block a thought, a "rebound effect" occurs, which causes us to think even more about it. that makes us think even more about that idea. In other words, aspiring to "control" your thoughts is counterproductive.

For this reason, many psychologists criticize the discourse of certain people with no real training in psychology, who promise people that with their book or their course they will be able to "control their thoughts" and stop having worrying thoughts.

And it is paradoxical, even if we managed to distract ourselves enough to stop paying attention to a certain thought, the moment we become aware of our accomplishment, we would drag the thought back into our consciousness.. It is like silence, if you name it, it breaks.

And the fact is that this "white bear effect this "white bear effect" is at the basis of a great many psychological problems, such as depression, anxiety disorders, depression, anxiety disorderssuch as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, irrational beliefs, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, addiction problems, suicidal ideation...

The phenomenon is often referred to as "rumination", when we get into loops with our thoughts.when we get into loops with certain thoughts, and we are unable to break the pattern and think about something else.

Why is it counterproductive to try to block thoughts?

Wegner gave another colorful name to this phenomenon: bimodal ironic control mechanism..

On the one hand, the conscious part of our mind takes care of some things, while the unconscious part works on many other tasks in the background. That is to say, on the one hand we are trying to think about something else, but another part of our mind is dedicated to check that we are indeed succeeding in this task..

The paradox comes when our unconscious mind tries to check that we are not thinking about the white bear or anything else that is related to the white bear. That is, essentially, impossible. The moment our mind makes the check that we are not thinking of "that which must not be named." the forbidden idea is brought back to the conscious part..

Then one feels even more distressed, unsuccessful, impotent, and thinks that he is doing something wrong for not being able to "control his mind". Hence the importance of working on the acceptance of certain thoughts and sensations on a daily basis, tolerating them even if they are certainly unpleasant, because fighting against ourselves tends to increase feelings of anxiety and frustration..

Implications for psychotherapy

Very often, when people come to their first therapy session and relate their reason for consultation, many people state that what they would like is to "stop having negative thoughts" or "stop worrying" or "block their thoughts".

The job of a psychologist there will be to help the person adjust his or her expectations.. We cannot block thoughts or avoid thinking about unpleasant things or prevent painful memories from surfacing. We can work on strategies that allow the person to be functional in his or her life, thoughts included. In this case, the metaphor could be to make friends with the white bear.

Advertisers and marketers are also familiar with this phenomenon

A popular advertising campaign from a few years ago was inspired by this anecdote of the white bear. A very original ad that, quite skillfully, takes advantage of this phenomenon of thought rumination, and ends masterfully with a "So you better not look at the red car coming next". Here is the brief advertisement of the well-known car brand, and it is not wasted.

Psychologist in Valencia (and online)

If you are having problems with obsessive thoughts and you don't quite know how to handle the situation, consult a professional as soon as possible. A psychologist will be able to help you to take the best steps for your specific case.

If you want to work with me in therapy, you can contact me through this page.