Assignment Instructions: Listen to “Don’t Think of a White Bear” podcast from The Happiness Lab (Season 1, Episode 6) and answer the following questions.

Link to the podcast available here: https://www.happinesslab.fm/season-1-episodes/dont-think-of-a-white-bear
Questions

1.According to the beginning of the podcast, what does Dostoevsky observe happens when we try not to think of something (e.g., a white bear)?

2.What does the Harvard psychologist, Dag Wegner, refer to as “ironic processes”?

3.On average, how often did the participants in Wegner’s study ring the bell (indicating how frequently they thought about the white bear)?

4.Dr. Santos continues to explain that our minds don’t just go to neutral thoughts like white bears, but to “yucky thoughts, like a fight with our spouse, or a mean comment from a coworker that you can’t shake, or even traumatic memories.” With what sorts of “yucky thoughts” have you experienced this phenomenon (i.e., “ironic processes”)? (Personal Reflection)

5.According to Dr. Santos, what is the cause of the yips in golf and how are they a form of “thought-suppression overload”?

6.What does Dr. Santos state is the scientific benefit experienced by Bernhard Langer with regards to openly sharing about the yips? In other words, what happened to Langer psychologically and how did that help him improve his golf performance?

7.What were the findings of Jamie Pennebaker’s research examining the effects of Holocaust survivors sharing their experiences—both immediately and a year later?

8.In his own conclusion to these findings, Jamie Pennebaker states, “if you have something that’s bad and you don’t want to talk about it…” (Fill in the “…”)

9.What were the findings of Jamie Pennebaker’s study of the college students’ health who journaled about traumatic experiences?

10.Among the 1,000 – 2,000 studies that have been published on the positive effects of journaling about traumatic or painful memories, what has been some of the associated findings enumerated in the podcast?

11.According to Dr. Santos, how does the science of ironic processes reveal that squashing down bad memories is a “bad idea”?

12.What is the “second reason” Dr. Santos provides to explain why writing our bad memories makes us happier?

13.Dr. Santos continues, “You finally have a chance to make sense of them [upsetting experiences] because they are not bottled up anymore. And once you make sense of upsetting experiences…” (Fill in the “…”)

14.Jamie Pennebaker states, “very often adversity—although having negative experiences certainly sucks, but by the same token, it has the potential to…” (Fill in the “…”)

15.Dr. Santos states that “many people would rather shut their negative emotions off before they happen.” How do you feel about this? Do you share this ideal? (Personal Reflection)

16.According to the science and personal experience, can we shut off emotion right in the middle of experiencing it?

17.Dr. Santos states that many of us don’t realize that we can’t shut off emotions midstream, so when we try to suppress emotions, what happens?

18.According to Eve Ekman, what does the science reveal about what happens to us physiologically when we try to suppress emotions?

19.According to the Wendy Berry Mendes’s study what was the effect of parental emotional suppression on their socialization behaviors with their children?

20.According to Eve Ekman, how does this emotional suppression lead to burnout and depletion of energy?

21.What does Eve suggest as an alternative to suppressing or avoiding emotions?

22.According to Eve, how are our most difficult emotions often our “greatest teachers”?

23.What does the podcast propose as the “first step to managing emotions”?

24.Eve provides an example of displaced emotions from work to the public transportation. When have you similarly displaced emotions inappropriately in the past? Please elaborate. (Personal Reflection)

25.According to Dr. Santos, it’s about _____ not reacting to emotions.” (Fill in the blank)

26.According to Buddhist philosophy, we cannot control the pain itself, but we can control our _____ to the pain.” (Fill in the blank)

27.Describe the Buddhist parable of the “Second Arrow.”

28.How have you been guilty of hitting yourself with a “second arrow”? (Personal Reflection)

29.According to Dr. Santos, “avoiding our thoughts and emotions causes them to come back with an ironic vengeance. The most effective way to deal with the pain of life—all those first arrows—is…” (Fill in the “…”)

30.How can you apply the teachings and lessons of this podcast to your life and what might be the benefit of doing so? (Personal Reflection)