Research findings on positive future thinking

Mindstep are proud to have funded research that adds to growing evidence on the role of positive future thinking in the suicidal process.

A 2025 experimental study compared adults with and without a history of suicidal thoughts or behaviours.

Researchers found that participants with a suicidal history:

• Generated fewer positive thoughts about the future.

• Showed a greater reduction in positive future thinking after a brief negative mood induction.

• Reported higher levels of defeat, entrapment, depressive symptoms and death-related mental imagery.

Importantly, the reduction in positive future thinking following the negative mood induction was not explained by current depressive symptoms alone.

These findings suggest that monitoring changes in positive future thinking -and supporting people to maintain or rebuild a sense of positive future possibilities - may be an important part of suicide prevention and clinical assessment.

📖 Read the study here.