If you've recently been dumped, suppressing thoughts of your Ex could make things worse. I wonder if the researchers were motivated to publish these studies as a way to figure out the best way to get over being dumped. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/yLeal3npGK8 Links to the papers I referenced. Ironic effects of thought suppression: a meta-analysis: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619898795 Fanning old flames: Emotional and cognitive effects of suppressing thoughts of a past relationship: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.68.5.782

1. WHY YOU
SHOULDN'T
SUPPRESS
THOUGHTS
OF YOUR EX
A scientific explanation
@unclechanatwork
www.theunclechan.com

2. Research has shown
that suppressing
thoughts of your Ex can
lead you to think about
them more instead.

3. This is because of the
ironic effect, an
uncontrollable
preoccupation with a
thought that you're
trying to surpress.

4. IT GETS WORSE

5. If you get distracted by
other thoughts during
thought suppression, you
may form cognitive
associations between the
unwanted thought and
the distracting thought.

6. Basically, you begin to
associate random
distracting thoughts with
your Ex and these random
thoughts become triggers
in the future.

7. MORE BAD NEWS

8. Suppressing thoughts of
your Ex may not only
increase the frequency of
those thoughts but it will
also heighten emotional
reactions once suppression
is no longer applied.

9. Ironic Effects of Thought
Suppression: A Meta-Analysis
Wang, D. (2020).
"Ironic effects of thought suppression: a meta-
analysis". Perspectives on psychological science
(1745-6916), 15 (3), p. 778.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619898795
SOURCES:
@unclechanatwork
www.theunclechan.com
Fanning old flames: emotional and
cognitive effects of suppressing thoughts
of a past relationship
Wegner, D. M., & Gold, D. B. (1995). Fanning old flames:
Emotional and cognitive effects of suppressing thoughts
of a past relationship. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 68(5), 782–792.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.68.5.782