Table of Contents
What causes automatic negative thoughts?
Cognitive biases and distortions are sneaky ways in which your mind convinces you of something that isn’t really true. The second reason you may have so many automatic negative thoughts is that your negative thinking has become a habit. Automatic thoughts are images, words, or other kinds of mental activity that pop into your head in response to a trigger. These thoughts can seem mundane or unimportant, but they can, in fact, be extremely impactful. Recurring negative thoughts can be a symptom of both anxiety and depressive disorders. Science has recognized two different forms of repetitive negative thoughts: rumination and worry. Unwanted thoughts are an extremely common symptom of anxiety disorders. Anxiety is the type of mental health disorder that specifically causes negative thinking, and the inability to control the thoughts that come into your head. For some people, anxiety itself can be caused by these thoughts. In the right front part of your brain, just above your eyeball, you will find your right prefrontal cortex (PFC). This is the part of the brain which is responsible for your negative thoughts. Negative thoughts are actually vital to our well-being and mental health, according to recent studies. In an article for Scientific American, psychotherapist Tori Rodriguez pulls together some of this research, and explains the role of emotions such as anger and sadness in the human experience.
What disorder is negative thinking?
A: Negative thinking makes you feel blue about the world, about yourself, about the future. It contributes to low self-worth. It makes you feel you’re not effective in the world. Psychologists link negative thinking to depression, anxiety, chronic worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Negative thinking has many different causes. Intrusive negative thoughts can be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or another mental health condition. Negative thinking is also symptomatic of depression (Negative Thinking and Depression: How One Fuels the Other). Spiraling negative thoughts can be a result of overthinking. This tends to happen when we have few distractions – which is why lying awake at night churning things over in our mind is a familiar feeling to many. At the time, negative thoughts may seem completely rational and logical. So we believe them to be true. The researchers found that both intelligence and critical thinking predicted the occurrence of negative life events, but critical thinking ability was a stronger predictor than intelligence. This means that you can have high IQ but still make decisions that may lead to negative life outcomes.
What are the most common negative thoughts?
Some examples of common negative messages that people repeat over and over to themselves include: I am a jerk, I am a loser, I never do anything right, No one would ever like me, I am a klutz. Most people believe these messages, no matter how untrue or unreal they are. Some examples of common negative messages that people repeat over and over to themselves include: I am a jerk, I am a loser, I never do anything right, No one would ever like me, I am a klutz. Most people believe these messages, no matter how untrue or unreal they are.
Why does my brain always go negative?
The human brain has a natural tendency to give weight to (and remember) negative experiences or interactions more than positive ones—they stand out more. Psychologists refer to this as negativity bias. “Our brains are wired to scout for the bad stuff” and fixate on the threat, says psychologist and author Rick Hanson. The answer has to do with our friend, the Caveman. Research shows that our brains evolved to react much more strongly to negative experiences than positive ones. It kept us safe from danger. But in modern days, where physical danger is minimal, it often just gets in the way. Spiraling negative thoughts can be a result of overthinking. This tends to happen when we have few distractions – which is why lying awake at night churning things over in our mind is a familiar feeling to many. At the time, negative thoughts may seem completely rational and logical. So we believe them to be true. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for releasing these automatic negative thoughts. CBT doesn’t dwell, or focus on past life experiences. It helps you recognize your negative thoughts and take control of them, instead of them controlling you. 2 Within cognitive behavioral therapy, it is believed that what you think can influence what you feel and do. For instance, if you experience negative automatic thoughts like I’m stupid or They’ll make fun of me when about to give a presentation, anxiety, and fear occurs.