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ScienceAdvances Current Issue First release papers Archive About More a f Xx RESEARCH ARTICLE NEUROSCIENCE in Improving mental health by training the suppression of unwanted thoughts ZULKAYDA MAMAT AND MICHAEL C. ANDERSON iD Authors Info & Affiliations SCIENCE ADVANCES · 20 Sep 2023.Vol 9, Issue 38· DOl: 10.1126/sciadv.adh5292 46,158 10 77 Abstract Anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and depression markedly increased worldwide during the CoVID-19 pandemic. People with these conditions experience distressing intrusive thoughts, yet convention- al therapies often urge them to avoid suppressing their thoughts because intrusions might rebound in intensity and frequency, worsening the disorders. In contrast, we hypothesized that training thought suppression would improve mental health. One hundred and twenty adults from 16 coun- tries underwent 3 days of online training to suppress either fearful or neutral thoughts. No para- doxical increases in fears occurred. Instead, suppression reduced memory for suppressed fears and rendered them less vivid and anxiety provoking. After training, participants reported less anxiety, negative affect, and depression with the latter benefit persisting at 3 months. Participants high in trait anxiety and pandemic-related posttraumatic stress gained the largest and most durable men- tal health benefits. These findings challenge century-old wisdom that suppressing thoughts is mal- adaptive, offering an accessible approach to improving mental health.

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