However, the negative effects of rumination don’t end there. Getting stuck in that negative loop will only serve to deepen the distress. It’s pretty clear that you aren’t doing yourself any favors by playing a problem over and over again in your head without trying to find a solution. The two do overlap and are believed to stem from the same processes, but worrying thoughts are usually more future-oriented, while rumination is more concerned with the past, according to a 2005 study. If ‘rumination’ just sounds like a fancy word for ‘worry’ for you, you aren’t too far off. What's the difference between ruminating and worrying? But the good news is that people seem to ruminate less the older they get. There is evidence that women tend to ruminate more than men. Instead, people who ruminate remain fixated on the problems and on their feelings about them without taking action.Ĭo-rumination is the act of repeatedly discussing these thoughts and feelings with someone else without finding or trying to find a solution or resolution. Rumination does not lead to active problem-solving. The term was initially coined in 1991 by American psychologist Susan Nolen-Hoeksema as a part of her response styles theory.Īccording to this theory, rumination involves repetitively and passively focusing on symptoms of distress and its possible causes and consequences.

This kind of repetitive thinking is known as rumination. Or spending your ride home going over something you said at work, worrying over the impression you might have left. You’re probably familiar with the feeling of lying awake at night, thinking about something that happened years ago. Rumination impairs your physical health.What's the difference between ruminating and worrying?.

Ruminating thoughts