Introspection = paying attention to ones own thoughts and feelings; allows us to imagine, remember, reflect, problem solve, innovate, etc.
Seen as one of central evolutionary advances distinguishing humans
When we are distressed, introspection can actually lead to more harm than good: cyclic negative thoughts & emotions = chatter
1. Why We Talk to Ourselves
Working memory = an essential task of the brain, and critical to the system = phonological loop which manages verbal information
Phonological loop → inner ear, which retains words we just heard, and inner voice, which allows us to repeat them to ourselves
Critical to verbal development, and thus also emotional development, in children
Internal voice = influenced by parents, culture
Leads to self-control, evaluates progress on goals/objectives, runs mental simulations (similar to dreams?), constructs autobiographical narratives
2. When Talking to Ourselves Backfires
Paralysis by analysis: over-focusing attention on automatic behaviors/skills → breakdown in execution
Neurologically, negative verbal rumination diverts resources of neurons to emotional distress from more useful executive functions
Effect of inner voice on our social lives:
Tendency to overvoice our chatter: to talk to others about negative emotional experiences to an excess, which pushes people away → loneliness, isolation
Only intensified by social media: diminishes empathy, allows for less time to self-process things before sharing
Caught up in the cycle because sharing info about ourselves → similar dopamine response to consuming something desirable
Emotional pain from chatter → physical implications
Emotional pain activates similar parts of brain as physical pain
Negative verbal stream → chronic stress, transdiagnostic risk factor for many mental illnesses
Chronic psychological threat leads to changes in gene expression associated with physical attack
3. Zooming Out
Inner voice helps us zoom in & identify challenging situations, which is helpful— becomes problematic when we get stuck there → lose perspective
How to use our thoughts to gain psychological distance?
Concept of distancing has somewhat become equated with avoidance, but doesn’t have to
Not the same as mindfulness, because you still want to engage with your thoughts, just from a distant perspective
Visualizing a situation from a physically more distant POV makes you less emotional (even changes physical response), but dampens both + and - emotions
Gaining distance (ex. consider a situation happening to a friend rather than you) → increased wisdom: ability to have more perspective, reconcile opposing views, consider longer-term consequences
“Outsider perspective” helps overcome loss aversion, information overload
Creating temporal distance is also beneficial
4. When I Become You
Distanced self-talk = referring to yourself in third person in internal dialogue → simple and powerful way to create emotional distance
Can more easily calm yourself down, improve performance, use wise-reasoning, prioritize morals over personal biases
Works within one second, and doesn’t require level of effort that other strategies do
Works by harnessing ability to interpret sources of stress as challenges rather than threats
When faced with stress, we automatically consider 1) what is required from me? and 2) do I have the personal resources to cope with that?
If answer is no, stress becomes a threat; yes → a challenge; distanced self-talk leads people to frame this more in the latter way
When journaling, try using “you” or your name rather than the more immersive “I”
Psychological comfort from normalizing experiences (often through use of the universal “you” to refer to anyone)
“If other people can get through this, so can I.”
Often how we try to learn from negative experiences
5. The Power and Peril of Other People
Studies show that talking about/sharing our negative emotions doesn’t actually help— whether after tragedy or just normal life
Initial reaction is to fulfill emotional needs, engaging in “tend and befriend” response that attenuated stress response, releases oxytocin
Biased to give/receive empathy over practical support → co-rumination: re-living the negative experience, stuck in cycle of association
To avoid rumination, need to attend to both emotional and cognitive needs
Example = NYPS hostage negotiation approach: active listening → empathy → rapport → influence → behavior change
Can start to identify what people to go to that provide balanced support
Offering support when not requested can be harmful by damaging the receiver’s self-efficacy
Invisible support (that isn’t explicit) like talking about other people with similar challenges to offer perspective, can be helpful
Affectionate touch is also very powerful— lowers stress, anxiety
6. Outside In
Exposure to green spaces and nature → many positive benefits to mental health, chronic stress
Attention restoration theory (Kaplans): nature draws involuntary attention through soft fascinations, allowing our executive functioning systems, drained by activities of voluntary attention, to recharge
Just being in nature produces positive effect, no matter the weather; even virtual nature (videos, pictures, recorded sounds) has similar impact!
Also proven to impact emotional health, reduce rumination vs urban environments
Experiences of awe: the wonder we feel when encountering something we can’t quite understand, self-transcendent emotion allowing people to think beyond their own needs and wants → blur lines between self and surroundings (like LSD, meditation)
Experiences of awe → distancing effect, reduce stress, calm inner voice, provide perspective
People more prone to awe → more wisdom (balanced sense of strengths and weaknesses), show more humility
Compensatory control: ordering arbitrary things around us → gives sense of control, efficacy → positive psychological benefits
Works because having sense of control depends on relies on the world around us is organized and neat enough for our actions to have predicted outcomes
Can simulate sense of order in the chaos of our minds by organizing and controlling parts of our surrounding environment
7. Mind Magic
Placebo = treatment or condition with no “active” ingredient or cause/effect that can still bring about a change
Concept extends to things like lucky charms, special environments, healing humans
Why not take full advantage of this if it has real positive outcomes?
Can be explained by the essential component of neural processing of expectations
Uses preconscious, automatic/reflexive pathways
Also shifts conscious thoughts— our inner voice— by providing belief, which shapes expectations
Placebo effects strongest for psychological outcomes, but still very powerful for physical/medical ones— can act as enhancers to some medicines/tx
How to utilize placebos without straight-up lying to people? Can get positive outcomes even when you explain what placebos are and how they work before administering!
Rituals → another (cultural) tool to mitigate chatter
Different than habit or routine in that they are have more strict/rigid structure, infused with meaning (helps broaden perspective, foster connection)
Reduce chatter through several avenues: serve as distraction, provide us with sense of order and control, can cultivate awe/fulfill emotional needs
The Tools
Tools You Can Implement on Your Own
Use distanced self-talk
Imagine advising a friend
Broaden your perspective
Reframe your experience as a challenge
Reinterpret your body’s chatter response
Normalize your experience
Engage in mental time travel (think about how you’ll feel in the future)
Change the view (visualize the event from a physically different perspective)
Write expressively, from the perspective of a narrator
Adopt the perspective of a neutral third party
Clutch a lucky char or embrace a superstition
Perform a ritual
Tools That Involve Other People
Tools for Providing Chatter Support
Address people’s emotional and cognitive needs
Provide “invisible support”
Tell your kids to pretend they’re a superhero
Touch affectionately (but respectively)
Be someone else’s placebo (provide an optimistic outlook)