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Numerous studies demonstrate that suppressing negative or even neutral thoughts can have a rebound effect. Therefore, a person who suppresses a thought may end up thinking about the suppressed thought more frequently than if he or she had not attempted suppression (Wegner, Schneider, Carter, & White, 1987). Despite considerable evidence pointing to the ineffectiveness of thought suppression in achieving mental control, and the almost ubiquitous negative effects associated with the technique, thought suppression remains a widely used self-control strategy (Wenzlaff & Wegner, 2000). Furthermore, people often use thought suppression in an attempt to control their behavior (Baumeister, Heatherton, & Tice, 1994). For example, people attempting to stop smoking are likely to avoid thinking about smoking. However, this strategy actually increases thoughts of smoking, making th