Hello! I am Xiangyu Deng, a PhD student from the Department of Psychology at Durham University. Thank you for viewing my poster. 

 

In this study, we aimed to investigate how thought patterns change after individuals experience stress and after they have a brief period of solitude afterwards. ​. 

 

Previous research has shown that solitude can facilitate emotional recovery, leading to a decrease in high-arousal emotions. However, whether this effect is linked with thoughts that happen during solitude is unexplored. To examine this, 57 participants were randomly assigned to one of two stress conditions. In the psychological stress, they completed the Trier Social Stress Test, which involved giving a speech in front of two evaluators and performing a difficult mental arithmetic task. In the physical stress condition, participants engaged in a 15-minute intensive exercise routine that elevated their heart rates to 85% of their maximum. 

 

Following the stress induction, all participants spent 30 minutes in solitude, during which they were provided with low-key activities such as puzzles and books but had no access to social interaction. Self-reports on their thoughts and emotions were collected at multiple time points: before stress, after stress, before solitude, and after solitude. To analyse the data, we used ANOVA and linear regression, controlling for pre-solitude emotional states to examine how different thought patterns predicted emotional outcomes. 

 

The ANOVA results highlight that psychological stress induced thoughts that are related to problem solving, span multiple topics, and retrieve past experiences. According to the figures, these dimensions of thoughts suggest that thoughts during psychological stress are more analytical compared to physical stress. Those thoughts under psychological condition decreased in solitude while the changing patterns of those thoughts under physical stress was not uniform. 

 

Moving to the linear regression results, pre-solitude emotional states strongly predicted post-solitude emotions, but some individuals experienced greater or smaller emotional shifts than expected, suggesting additional psychological mechanisms at play. Notably, positive-valenced thoughts were strong positive predictors of emotional outcomes after solitude. While self-reflective and future-oriented thoughts enhanced recovery, task-related thoughts were linked to poorer emotional adjustment. 

From these four images, we can tell that thoughts were more strongly linked to emotional experiences in Psychological Stress condition, compared to Physical Stress condition. Thoughts that were more detailed and deliberate, in form of words, and related to other people were linked to less positive emotions. 

 

In conclusion, psychological stress induced analytical thought patterns, which showed stronger link with emotional experiences.​ In addition, analytical thoughts decreased in solitude after psychological stress. This suggests preliminary evidence for the cognitive renewal benefits of solitude. ​Moreover, thoughts characterised by positive emotions aid emotional recovery across conditions. While self-reflection and future-oriented thinking enhanced emotional outcomes, task-focused thoughts hindered recovery. ​ 

 

Future research should further explore the benefits of solitude on cognitive renewal based on this study. 

 

Thank you for your time!