Sublime

Our analyses showed that this was because they ruminated over their problems and setbacks, essentially tormenting themselves with the idea that the setbacks meant they were incompetent or unworthy:

it’s not one thought that throws us into a tizzy: It’s the pattern of continually experiencing that thought that compounds its effect and makes it seem valid.

Women are twice as likely to suffer depression as men are, because on the average they think about problems in ways that amplify depression.

negative expectations by teachers were associated with lower self-esteem in Externally controlled students but not in Internally controlled students.

IT’S A matter of ABC*: When we encounter adversity, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into beliefs. These beliefs may become so habitual we don’t even realize we have them unless we stop and focus on them. And they don’t just sit there idly; they have consequences. The beliefs are the direct causes of what we feel and what

Why has evolution allowed depression and pessimism to exist at all?

‘The general picture of schizoid psychopathies is paler in girls than in boys, and the schizoid peculiarities appear less marked. Also the percentage of schizoid psychopathies seem to be lower in girls’.

It simply suggests that different ways of thinking have different consequences. Some thoughts are depressing and disempowering; others inspire us.