What is mental subtraction?
CECH professor speaks with Time about its use
At some point most people have encountered an irritating boss or a difficult co-worker. It can make work stressful at best and unbearable at worst. But if tomorrow you got a pink slip instead of another negative encounter would it matter?
A journalist from Time posed that question to encourage readers to take a minute to imagine life without something, asking, "What if?” That practice known as ‘mental subtraction’ may be a good way to rediscover the value of a job, a relationship, a misbehaving pet or whatever is getting under your skin.
Suzie White, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Cincinnati, told Time that mental subtraction isn’t just a mental version of gratitude journaling.
Dr. Suzie White
“Most people think of gratitude as listing things they're thankful for,” says White, who teaches a science-based well-being course called Happiness in Action. “Mental subtraction takes a different approach.” And that difference matters, because the same adaptation that dulls our good experiences can dull a gratitude practice, too.
White studies student well-being, the neuroscience of social connection and belonging in K-12 school, along with parent and community engagement.
She says that mental subtraction offers perspective for practitioners even if their circumstances haven’t changed.
White recommends anchoring the whole exercise to a daily habit so it sticks: pair it with brushing your teeth, making coffee, or your morning commute. "Attaching it to an existing habit makes it easier to remember," she adds.
Read the full story in Time online.
Learn more about Dr. Suzie White online.
Featured top image from iStock.
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