Lousy day? Don’t try to think happy thoughts—just think fast. A new study shows that accelerated thinking can improve your mood. In six experiments, researchers at Princeton and Harvard universities made research participants think quickly by having them generate as many problem-solving ideas (even bad ones) as possible in 10 minutes, read a series of ideas on a computer screen at a brisk pace or watch an I Love Lucy video clip on fast-forward. Other participants performed similar tasks at a relaxed speed.
Results suggested that thinking fast made participants feel more elated, creative and, to a lesser degree, energetic and powerful. Activities that promote fast thinking, then, such as whipping through an easy crossword puzzle or brain-storming quickly about an idea, can boost energy and mood, says psychologist Emily Pronin, the study’s lead author.
Pronin notes that rapid-fire thinking can sometimes have negative consequences. For people with bipolar disorder, thoughts can race so quickly that the manic feeling becomes aversive. And based on their own and others’ research, Pronin and a colleague propose in another recent article that although fast and varied thinking causes elation, fast but repetitive thoughts can instead trigger anxiety. (They further suggest that slow, varied thinking leads to the kind of calm, peaceful happiness associated with mindfulness meditation, whereas slow, repetitive thinking tends to sap energy and spur depressive thoughts.)
It is unclear why thought speed affects mood, but Pronin and her colleagues theorize that our own expectations may be part of the equation. In earlier research, they found that people generally believe fast thinking is a sign of a good mood. This lay belief may lead us to instinctively infer that if we are thinking quickly we must be happy. In addition, they suggest, thinking quickly may unleash the brain’s novelty-loving dopamine system, which is involved in sensations of pleasure and reward.
The kind of rush that a person gets from rapid-fire thinking may be transient, but “these little bursts of positive emotion add up,” says psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky of the University of California, Riverside. Studies have demonstrated that happiness yields myriad benefits, including greater productivity, stronger social support and improved immune function, she explains, adding that “even brief periods of heightened mood can lead to upward spirals.”
Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Think Fast".
See what we're tweeting about
12 Comments
Add CommentThis article really hit home with me. I have been diagnosed with depression, for which I take anti-depressants. When I am feeling good, I am very quick-witted, able to multi-task, and to think on my feet. However, when depression hits, not only do I lose my sense of humr, but my thoughts become muddled and incomplete. I think that fast thinking can help to elevate your mood, as stated in your article. Additionally, fast thinking can also be an indicator of mental status for those who suffer from depression.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis article raises a lot of questions. Is thinking fast the cause or result of a good mood. And is thinking faster only rewarding when your thoughts are correct, or rewarded.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis makes me think of certain video games (not all!) that are fast pased, and people are happy when they play them, also tv is not fast pased, and sucks the life out of you.
JNBoogie, from experience, I would get off the anti-depressants, they cause the unavoidable rebounce back into depression. I don't know how serious your case is, but even the worse depression can be pulled through and overcome with your own will. I am not saying depression isn't a real problem, but I don't think we know much about how it works, and these meds show low numbers of relief. A lot of depression is caused by the pressures of the world, a pill doesn't avoid that. You have a chemical imbalance that your body is able to fix. It reminds me of an article a month or so back showing data researchers had that said natural antioxidants in berries show much higher health benefits than antioxidant pills.
Excellent! Explains a lot.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDoes rapid thinking apply to playing speed chess, such as 5min games, or does this only apply to creating new ideas? I play speed chess occasionally and have not noticed a significant mood change as such, unless i win a good game. However, it does make me feel more energetic and confident. My mood, on the other hand, definitely affects my game! Could anybody out there please do a research on the effects of playing chess on the brain, with focus on speed chess and comparisons with the working of brain when playing music. I am a chess fanatic and would love to see some research work on it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthis can be a new way of treating depression.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thismaking a computer program that promotes fast thinking,companioned with sychologic treatment.
using less anti depresants and making people much happier and prodactive.
agenthucky: please be careful about (a) generalizing from your own experience when talking about mental illness, and (b) assuming that "depression... caused by the pressures of the world" is the same as Major Depressive Disorder, which CANNOT be "overcome with your own will," especially the Severe version. The phrase "chemical imbalance" is pretty much meaningless, and MDD is multi-determined and complex, involving genetics, neuroanatomy, endocrine function, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. The difference is the capital D.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGreat article...hope more comes from this area of study!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPeople are depressed because they choose to be.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCan positive repetitive thoughts trigger anxiety or just the negative repetitive thoughts?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy experience is that listening fast is also integral to one's optimism. If there is no one around you to brainstorm or quickly problem solve with, you might speed up your iPod (they go a little slow for me)! The important piece of fast thinking is that those around you generally understand and exchange with the fast person.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn the flip side, the fast person has often slowed themselves in an effort to become methodical with their communication. That is necessary sometimes, but many times people have surrounded themselves with a cadre of others who think like they do but then feel challenged to be respectful, knowledgable, consistant and thorough with their communication. And the often don't need to "slow."
The optimism of fast thinking and its associated speed makes others wonder what the hidden messages are about the real conversation. But THIS type of brainstorming and fast thinking and learning has less in the way of hidden messages, than the slowed-down approach that our society often heralds.
For me, it's exciting to keep pace with others and to create as many opportunities for fast exchanges and learning as possible. The ability to create these opportunities for my clients is what gives them their wings yet keeps them coming back. The connection I have with my clients is not only priceless but it's what gives them such new-found freedom. "Finally...!" I always hear them say.
Carroll King Schuller
The Business & Life Coach for Fast Thinking Adults
www.organicblueprints.com
On-the-dinero because 'speed' gives us a positive experience,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiscompared to passivity. To the practical reader of Scientific
American - who always asks, So What? about the articles he/she
reads - SpeedLearning101 (first-step) is the pro forma response. Get thee to a Speed-Reading seminar. Why?
You get to learn how to read three (3) books, articles and reports instead of one, and double your long-term memory.
Who am I? I was the business partner of Evelyn Wood,
creator of speed reading, graduating 2 million, including
the White House staffs of four U.S. Presidents.
www.speedlearning.org See ya, Hal
Secret for Scientific American readers - who have a need to
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKnow. The practical next step is to discover SpeedLearning101
My business partner was Evelyn Wood, creator of speed reading, graduating 2 million, including the White House staffs of Four U.S. Presidents. They read-and-remember three (3) books, articles, and reports compared to their peers - permanently. See: www.speedlearning.org