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Could your thoughts make you age faster?

Fascinating article. Five thought patterns that may shorten your telomeres were identified.

Excerpts:

"Researchers are finding that your mental patterns could be harming your telomeres — essential parts of the cell’s DNA — and affecting your life and health. Nobel-winning scientist Elizabeth Blackburn and health psychologist Elissa Epel explain.

"One of them is cynical hostility. Cynical hostility is defined by high anger and frequent thoughts that other people cannot be trusted.

Pessimism is the second thought pattern that has been shown to have negative effects on telomeres. When our research team conducted a study on pessimism and telomere length, we found that people who scored high on a pessimism inventory had shorter telomeres.

Rumination — the act of rehashing problems over and over — is the third destructive thought pattern. How do you tell rumination from harmless reflection? Reflection is the natural, introspective analysis about why things happen a certain way. It may cause you some healthy discomfort, but rumination feels awful. And rumination never leads to a solution, only to more ruminating.

The fourth thought pattern is thought suppression, the attempt to push away unwanted thoughts and feelings.

Ironic error may also be harmful to telomeres. If we try to manage stressful thoughts by sinking the bad thoughts into the deepest waters of our subconscious, it can backfire. The chronically stressed brain’s resources are already taxed — we call this cognitive load — making it even harder to successfully suppress thoughts. Instead of less stress, we get more.

The final thought pattern is mind wandering."


For more details, including studies: [ideas.ted.com]

VictoriaNotes 9 Dec 27
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5 comments

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0

Will it also work if there is a reason why I can't trust certain people?
How do the measure when I have a high score or not in pessimistic thoughts? When I'm pessimistic about the good 45 will do for this country, will that kill me on the long term, or can I survive these 4 years and feel more positive for the next 4 years?

I guess it has to do with someone's stress-level. High stress-levels kill.

Gert Level 7 Feb 13, 2019

@VictoriaNotes Indeed, that's why I skip most of the media. I prefer a low stress level. High stress levels I reserve for solving problems. It helps me to find solutions. After solving stress levels go down again. That's how life works for me.

0

In my Mind-body Medicine series a lot of focus is given to the life shortening aspects of anger and I can fully see this.

What about non-violence cynicism? What about cynicism which helps one see the world differently and promotes non-violent activities?

Pessimism, to me means negativity (which I have, in the past) been accused of being. But in a "reflection" of my life I have seen the pessimism is only skin deep. Is this possible?

I fully concur about the issues of rumination and constantly rehashing one's supposed problems. When I was working or in unhealthy relationships this was an issue. Through meditation and learning, practicing to 'chill' this has become less of a problem. Having supporting friendships also helps.

All I can say about the "mind wandering" issue (Spaciness) is guilty as charged. I find I spend half my time looking for something I have just set down because I was thinking of something else. Building projects are a biggie. I will be thinking of how something should look or how to solve a construction issue and set a tool down and then forget where it was, bummer. People ask if I am getting Alzheimer's and I say no I have always been like this lol.

I think the solutions lie in learning and practicing what one learns.

1

would meditation be considered thought suppression?
Rumination seems like another word for anxiety.

1

Have all those thought patterns. Check. I'm doomed. Thanks for sharing this.
Ok, come to think of it, I may not have number four, so there may be hope for me?

0

I recently read a book titled "The Biology of Belief" by Bruce Lipton which is a "must read" if you're curious about how powerful our thoughts, both positive and negative, really are. It has made me re-examine my thought patterns and resolve to make some badly needed changes---easier said than done! The chapter on how the subconscious affects our thoughts and behavior is especially fascinating.

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