A group of researchers since the University of Arizona (USA)
set out to find out what people think when they have a few free minutes. To do
this, they selected 78 participants who remained in the room without access to
electronic devices. They were asked to express their thoughts out loud for 10
minutes. The researchers recorded what the participants said, transcribed the
recordings and analyzed their content. In total, they analyzed more than 2,000
thoughts .
The idea was “to simulate small breaks that we do during the
day, such as when we queue at the cafeteria, when we shower, when we go to bed
at night, etc. These are times when external demands are minimal and internal
thoughts tend to appear, "explains the study's first author, Quentin
Rafaelli, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University
of Arizona .
Well, they saw that most of the participants thought about
the present or the future in an emotionally neutral way for 10 minutes. Others,
however, expressed more specific and negative thoughts. The latter also
received a higher score on the reflection questionnaire. "Ruminants also
thought of themselves more often," Rafaelli said . packaging
What does it mean to be a ruminant? Well, nothing more and
nothing less than being a person who does nothing more than think about
something that bothers him. Anytime and anywhere, you have a question in mind
that may be past or future. These thoughts can ultimately cause fear, sadness,
anxiety, guilt ... and can predispose to anxiety and depression .
Going back to the research, the researchers tracked specific
thoughts over time, measuring their duration and focus more or less broadly. In
ruminants, negative thoughts lasted longer than positive ones, and over time
these negative thoughts became increasingly narrow .
"We could see how some people were caught up in
persistent thought cycles," said Jessica Andrews-Hannah, a co-author of
the study. "We recruited a random group of people who did not know if they
had been diagnosed with any clinical conditions for this study, but it is
surprising that in just 10 minutes of downtime, we can capture thought
processes that speak to many different mental states."
Unlike ruminants, there were those who saw a therapeutic moment
during these 10 minutes of stop. “Some of the participants thought about
positive themes or goals that they wanted to achieve,” Andrews-Hanna said.
“Other people's thoughts were very creative. Many participants found that this
exercise provides an opportunity to take a break from the hustle and bustle of
the world around them. "For these people, it was like a self-therapy
session." There is research on the ability to bring life to our lives.
thoughts through journaling or sharing thoughts with others, and I think this
research is indirectly reaping the benefits, "Andrews-Hannah said.
The study was completed before the COVID-19 pandemic broke
out, but the results are especially important now. The reason, according near
the researchers, is that many people spend more time inactive and alone during
a pandemic than ever before in their lives.
The authors also conducted a version of this study during
the pandemic attack and are analyzing the results. “Staying home for so long
has a huge impact on people's mental well-being,” Rafaelli said. "We have
seen this increase in anxiety and depression during the pandemic, as well as an
increase in substance abuse."
There may be little downtime when it is not locked.
"The psychological breakdowns in today's busy, scattered society seem to
be increasingly underestimated," says Andrews-Hannah. "Western
societies seem to perpetuate lifestyles in which we are always on the go,
taking work home or distracted by email or social media."
While this was not measured in the study, the authors
suggest that teaching people from infancy to feel comfortable while inactive
can help maintain mental well-being. "By slowing down our reflex to reach
for the phone every time there is a moment of silence, we can better harness
the benefits of breaks for our mental health and creativity," Rafaelli
said.
