--- title: "Circular Thoughts – What Happens in the Brain | Brain Model" description: "Why thoughts spin in circles instead of reaching a conclusion – the neuroanatomy of circular thinking. ACC, mPFC and DMN in concert." canonical: https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/circular-thoughts/ parent: https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/ author: Johannes Faupel site: brainmodel.digital — Anatomically interactive. Scientifically precise. No therapeutic school. license: Citation welcome with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. type: educational — healthy-brain function, not diagnosis or therapy --- > **Canonical page (cite this):** [Map 38 – Circular Thoughts](https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/circular-thoughts/) # Map 38 – Circular Thoughts Why thoughts spin in circles instead of reaching a conclusion – and which circuits sustain this state ## Anatomically and biochemically Circular thoughts arise when the brain has an open loop and cannot find a way to close it. The **anterior cingulate cortex (ACC; responsible for error monitoring and action selection)** is the neuroanatomical instrument that flags open loops and keeps attention directed at unresolved topics. This function is useful as long as the topic can be resolved by thinking. With topics that have no clear action option – interpersonal tensions, uncertain future situations, questions without answers – the ACC keeps the loop active without any closure in sight. The **medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC; self-reference area)** supplies the personal connection: the topic is related to oneself again and again. The **hippocampus** provides the same episodic material – similar situations from the past, similar outcomes. The **amygdala** raises the urgency: the topic remains significant for as long as it is unresolved. The **insula** translates the activation into a physical discomfort. All participants fire in a circle – which is why the thoughts are called circular. Why does more thinking rarely help with circular thoughts? Because the dlPFC, when working through scenarios, activates the same ACC-mPFC-amygdala circuit already stuck in the loop. Giving more resources to the same system spins the loop faster – it does not change its path. Why do movement, conversation or sleep resolve circular thoughts far more effectively than further thinking? Because these activities shift the neural mode: they activate other circuits, and the ACC circuit gets a pause. The loop interrupts – not because the topic was resolved, but because the brain changed its working mode. ## Examples from everyday life - **After a difficult conversation:** What should I have said differently? The ACC keeps the question open because no final answer is possible. The loop keeps turning. - **Lying awake:** The DMN is active in the evening – the same network that produces circular thoughts. Sleep and circular thinking compete for the same neural space. - **Waiting for a response:** The result is outside one's control. The ACC registers the open loop – and cannot close it because the action option is missing. - **Repeatedly replaying a mistake:** The hippocampus supplies the same scene again and again. The amygdala marks it as significant. The mPFC relates it to the person. - **Relief through stepping away:** A walk, a conversation, a sleep – and suddenly the perspective is new. The brain changed mode, it did not resolve the topic. ## What this card does not say This card describes a normal mechanism in the healthy human brain. Circular thoughts are a sign of open neural loops, not a failure of thinking ability. This card is not a diagnostic tool and not a treatment guide. ## You now understand what happens in the brain during circular thoughts. Three ways to go further: **① Deepen now – Mind Rooms** The complete e-book on the spatial method for mental clarity. $9.70 [View e-book](https://www.mindrooms.net/e-book/) Or order via email: buch@exponere.de $9.70 via PayPal, the e-book will be sent to your PayPal email **② Community – skool.com/supervision** Daily answers from Johannes Faupel to community questions and discussion of the maps. $37 / month [Join skool.com/supervision](https://www.skool.com/supervision) **③ Personal contact – Phone** Questions about publications or booking options for Johannes Faupel? +49 69 68 60 12 99 Please note that no questions on psychological or related topics can be answered. ## Scientific sources for this map: 1. Makovac, E., Fagioli, S., Rae, C., Critchley, H., & Ottaviani, C. (2019). Can't get it off my brain: Meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on perseverative cognition. *Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 295*, 111020. [doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.111020](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.111020) 2. Whitmer, A., & Gotlib, I. (2013). An attentional scope model of rumination. *Psychological Bulletin, 139*, 1036–1061. [doi.org/10.1037/a0030923](https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030923) 3. Moulds, M., & McEvoy, P. (2025). Repetitive negative thinking as a transdiagnostic cognitive process. *Nature Reviews Psychology, 4*, 127–141. [doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00399-6](https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00399-6) --- *These visualisations are scientific educational representations of normal brain functions in the healthy human brain. They are not diagnostic tools, not therapy, and not a substitute for medical or psychotherapeutic treatment. If you suspect a mental health condition, please consult a licensed professional.* --- *Source page: https://www.brainmodel.digital/understand-the-brain/circular-thoughts/ · Author: Johannes Faupel · educational — healthy-brain function, not diagnosis or therapy.*