What are recurrent memories about? Understanding their contents and links to mental health using computational text analysis
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Researchers debate whether recurrent involuntary autobiographical memories (IAMs; personal memories retrieved unintentionally and repetitively) are pathological or ordinary. We asked if content could distinguish between maladaptive and benign recurrent IAMs. Using structural topic models, a method of unsupervised machine learning, we show that topics in recurrent IAMs - and their links to mental health - are identifiable, distinguishable, and quantifiable.