How does overthinking affect brain health?

A new study has confirmed that excessive thinking can harm the brain, as excessive mental effort leads to increased levels of stress, frustration, or anger.

According to the British newspaper The Independent, researchers analyzed 170 previous studies to examine whether mental effort is linked to negative feelings, and whether there are some factors that influence this matter more, such as profession, culture, or social level.

The professions studied included health care workers, military personnel, amateur athletes, college students, and engineers.

The researchers found that the more excessive thinking and mental effort there was, the more distressing negative emotions were reported, regardless of a person's profession, culture, or social level.

However, they pointed out that these problems had less impact on those living in Asian countries compared to others.

“Our results show that expending excessive mental effort thinking about a task or matter is harmful to the brain,” said Dr. Eric Belfeld, lead author of the study.

He added: "It is important that principals and teachers keep this in mind when requesting tasks from their staff and students. When people are asked to exert great mental effort, they must be sure that they are supported or rewarded for their effort."

The study team indicated that people voluntarily participate in tasks that require mental effort, despite their harmful effects on their minds, if they feel that there is a mental reward that they will receive as a result of this participation.

For example, millions of people play chess even though it requires great mental effort because its benefits outweigh its drawbacks. The person feels enjoyment and happiness when he thinks about how to play, and wins in the end.

The new study was published in the Journal of the American Psychological Association.

Source: The Independent