Proportion of self-related words

Proportion of self-related words are associated with executive function in humans.

“These associations were moderated by levels of rumination and worry, respectively, two components of repetitive negative thinking reflecting cognitive debt and previously related to reduced cognitive resilience.”

Humansmoderated by worryn = 110

Repetitive negative thinking moderates the association between self-referential thoughts and cognition amongst older adults: a natural speech analysis approach · Research Square · 4 Sep 2026 · Preprint

Proportion of self-related words are associated with episodic memory in humans.

“Increased proportion of self-related words, used as a proxy for self-referential thoughts, was associated with poorer episodic memory and executive functions.”

Humansmoderated by ruminationn = 110

Repetitive negative thinking moderates the association between self-referential thoughts and cognition amongst older adults: a natural speech analysis approach · Research Square · 4 Sep 2026 · Preprint