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Does this actually work?
Hey have you guys heard that when you wear a rubber band and snap it on you it gets ride of a thought or idea. Aparantly its supposed to get ride of the idea and if you do it enough times it stops the idea completely. Does this actually work?
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Logically and scientifically, yes, this can work. The idea behind this is operant conditioning. I could bore you for a few paragraphs with my psychology ramblings, but I'll save you the boredom :P
Anywho, the basic idea behind it is that snapping the rubber band and causing yourself a jolt of pain will eventually automatically become associated with whatever negative thoughts you had in the past when you snapped the rubber band. Your brain will eventually learn that negative thoughts = jolt of pain, and you'll want to stop having negative thoughts.
I do not recommend this method, because to me, it sounds like a basic and simple form of self-harm, which I don't condone.
Instead of punishing yourself for the bad thoughts, why not go the other way and instead, reward yourself for good thoughts? Same concept, opposite end of the spectrum :)
-Laura (19-f)
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I know that it is supose to stop a person from cutting their self. But the reason for that is that they focus there mind on the pain in there wrist or arm is makes them not want to cut them self. so I supose it could why not just try it and find out its not going to harm anything by doing it.
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It doesn't so much stop the thought as it does stop the cycle.
Let's say that you're a smoker who wants to quit. Normally, you crave a cigarette, then go get one and smoke it without thinking. You might chain-smoke a whole pack unconsciously.
What the rubber band trick does is force an interruption in patterns. Next time you notice yourself craving a cigarette, you snap the rubber band on your wrist. That makes you consciously think about the fact that you're craving a cigarette, and you are then able to say "No. I will not smoke. I acknowledge the craving, but I'm not going to act on it."
The same trick works for lots of negative thought patterns and habits.
So no, it won't make the thought go away. It just makes you take notice of it so that you can deal with it.
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The idea is that you train yourself to snap on the rubber band whenever they catch themselves thinking unwanted thoughts.
If you manage to get into the habit, it'll work because you then focus on snapping the rubber band instead of thinking about whatever you don't want to be thinking.
If there is something bothering you, it might be helpful to let it out instead of relying on thought stopping.
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