Repetitive negative thinking associated with cognitive decline in older adults

Nature of Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) and Depression

• Several commenters with lifelong depression describe intrusive, automatic negative thoughts (including suicidal ideation) as “background noise” rather than something they can simply switch off.
• Multiple replies reject the idea that people can just “think positive” on command; they emphasize that for many, the “positive signal” circuitry itself feels broken.
• Others liken uncontrolled thought patterns to involuntary perception (you can’t choose not to read text you see).

Coping Strategies: Helpful but Hard

• Techniques mentioned: CBT-style thought redirection, gratitude journaling, posture/smiling, exercise, meditation, tactile anchors (e.g., a stone), “avoiding zero days,” and deliberately scheduling small positive actions.
• People stress these are effortful, repetitive, often boring, and especially difficult during deep depression; they’re not cures, just partial scaffolding.
• Some note that when they’re in a bad state, usual sources of joy lose their effect or even worsen mood.

Correlation vs Causation and Study Design Critiques

• Many point out the study only shows association, not that RNT causes cognitive decline; cognitive decline or underlying disease could instead produce RNT.
• Several argue media and even the paper’s wording (“modifiable process”) implicitly oversell causality and talk-therapy implications.
• There is skepticism about psychological research that relies on self-report questionnaires, with some calling RNT a rebranded score on a specific scale.
• Broader discussion on how correlations are misreported, when they’re still useful, and how this dynamic distorts public understanding.

Aging, Dementia, and Reverse Causality

• Commenters with family members who have Parkinson’s, dementia, or age-related decline report increasing perseveration, anxiety, and negativity as cognition worsens.
• Some suggest RNT might simply be another early symptom of neurodegeneration, not a driver.

Evolution, Negativity Bias, and Modern Life

• Several invoke evolutionary explanations: brains prioritize detecting threats and losses (“prediction engines,” loss aversion), leading to a natural tilt toward negative thoughts.
• Others counter that humans show strong positive self-serving biases too; people often lie to themselves to maintain a favorable self-image.
• Extended side-discussion covers trauma, intergenerational abuse, screens/social media as “dopamine hijackers,” and whether today is objectively the “best time to be alive” despite widespread malaise.

Interventions and Life Context

• Suggested “medicines” for negative thinking range from antidepressants, CBT/ACT, stoicism, exercise, community, pets, and parenting, to psychedelics and meditation—acknowledged as imperfect and not universally beneficial.
• Some report RNT resolving after ADHD treatment; others describe aging with awareness of decline but using perspective and routines to stay hopeful.