If depression is a prison of sorts, then one of the jailhouse
guards may be our own unconscious memory.
Researchers have long observed that the memory of depressed folks
is biased toward the negative. They are more likely to recall, and dwell
on, unpleasant events and situations.
But according to Philip Watkins, Ph.D., the same is true of
unconscious memories. And since such memories color our thoughts without
our realizing it, counteracting this bias toward the negative might be an
important step in fighting depression.
Watkins and his colleagues asked students to visualize scenes
related to worlds that were positive ("talented"), negative ("lonely"),
or neutral. Later, during a word association brainstorming task, it
turned out that depressed students were more likely to carry over
negative worlds from the visualization session.
What's key is that the students weren't trying to repeat words.
Their minds were "randomly" dredging them up, suggesting that mood exerts
a bias on unconscious memories.
"The bias may help maintain depression even when we're not aware of
it," says Watkins, a psychologist at Eastern Washington University. For
example, we might turn down an invitation to a potentially mood-lifting
party because negative memories from past soirees insidiously sway
us.
"In one sense, it's discouraging that there's stuff going on
unconsciously that might maintain a depressed mood," says Watkins. On the
other hand, we may well be able to counteract such memories—no one has
looked to see if it's possible, he notes. "But being aware of it is the
first step toward changing it."
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