RESEARCH_FILE
Sonja Lyubomirsky
University of California, Riverside
Known for:Experimental research on how rumination impairs problem-solving and cognitive flexibility, and how distraction can restore them
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“It was all my fault”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“The past has no edit mode. My next hour does.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
On a scrap of paper, write the repeating scene in one sentence. Then draw a line under it and list two things that are still entirely available to you today, without involving anyone else. Fold the paper and set it aside.
Key findings
- 2004
With Chris Tkach, Lyubomirsky demonstrated experimentally that ruminators who were induced to distract themselves before problem-solving produced better and more creative solutions than ruminators who continued ruminating — providing causal evidence that it is the rumination itself, not just the underlying low mood, that impairs cognitive functioning. The Costs and Benefits of Writing, Talking, and Thinking About Life's Triumphs and Defeats ↗