(OPINION) ETH – A new study has just come out that has found that repetitive negative thinking in later life was linked to cognitive decline and greater deposits of two harmful proteins responsible for Alzheimer’s disease according to CNN. According to the report, Dr. Natalie Marchant, a psychiatrist, and senior research fellow in the department of mental health at University College London recently stated
“We propose that repetitive negative thinking may be a new risk factor for dementia,” The extraordinary report stated that negative thinking behaviors such as rumination about the past and worry about the future were measured in over 350 people over the age of 55 over a two-year period and nearly a third of the participants also underwent a PET
(positron emission tomography) brain scan to measure deposits of tau and beta-amyloid, which are two proteins that are responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. These scans revealed that individuals who spent more time thinking negatively had more tau and beta-amyloid buildup, worse memory, and greater cognitive decline over a span of a four-year period compared to people who were not pessimists.
What’s interesting about this study is the fact that the Word of God speaks about our thought life and mentions the ill effects of worry, anxiety, and fear. For example in the New Testament Jesus tells us that:
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
Matthew 5:25-34 NLT
And then The Apostle Paul elaborates even greater on this topic with the following passage found in the Book of Philippians:
6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
8 Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].
Philippians 4:6-8 Amplified Translation
I always find it amazing when new discoveries and findings are made that only agree with what has been written for thousands of years and found in the pages of the Bible. This new study should only affirm to us that we need to take notice of how we are allowing our thought life to operate. Are we allowing fear, worry, and anxiety to rule our everyday thought life? If so, we may have just discovered the physical harm that is producing and why we need to embrace the Words of the Prophet Isaiah. “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.”
