Chapter 3 is concerned with rumination, which refers to circular patterns of thought. These often develop after disruptions and may be more difficult to control than the initial issue. Shankar introduces Matt Gutman, who reported on Kobe Bryant’s fatal helicopter crash as part of a live report for ABC News. During the report, he got into a panicked state because he incorrectly stated that four of Bryant’s daughters were on board. Following the incident, he spent weeks going over criticism online, watching himself repeatedly saying “four,” and concluded that his brain was fundamentally damaged. Based upon this experience, Shankar defines rumination as obsessive and unproductive thinking about events from the past, present, or future. Rumination produces the impression of problem-solving but increases suffering.

The chapter suggests that rumination limits an individual’s point of view and strengthens ideas that are causing an individual distress. In addition, the chapter illustrates that panic may be triggered by social threats and not necessarily physical danger: Matt’s panic episodes were caused by fear of being judged poorly and failing at something. Randolph Nesse, an evolutionary psychiatrist, assisted Matt in reframing his understanding of panic as an adaptive system that may malfunction. Instead of viewing panic as evidence of personal defectiveness, Matt now views it as an indication that his adaptive system may have malfunctioned. This change in how Matt understands panic represents an example of cognitive reappraisal, the process of changing one’s way of understanding a problem, typically to reduce its emotional significance.

Shankar includes two additional examples of individuals who have experienced increased levels of rumination after experiencing some type of traumatic event. The first is Kylie Yorke, who saw an increase in her eco-anxiety after wildfires destroyed communities she had previously visited. The second is Florence Williams, who found herself mired in obsessive analysis regarding why her husband left her. Both women began to improve after finding new perspectives on their problems. Kylie placed her current day-to-day concerns about climate issues into a larger context of what humans have collectively done historically. Meanwhile, Florence visited the Museum of Broken Relationships and realized that all individuals face some form of unresolved question(s) or heartbreak. These examples represent two methods of establishing psychological distance—namely, mental time travel and social perspective-taking. Both provide a sufficient level of separation for an individual to examine a problem from a greater range.

While Shankar’s discussion of rumination largely frames it as a universal human tendency, it is worth noting that rumination can also be a feature of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and OCD. In addition, readers with certain mental illnesses or neurological/developmental disorders may find some of the chapter’s advice harder to apply; for instance, both ADHD and autism can make perspective-taking more challenging. This does not undermine the overall credibility of her recommendations, which are scientifically backed, but it does suggest that they may need modification to suit individual needs. 

Chapter Lessons

• Recognize when repeated thinking has become rumination rather than productive reflection.
• Challenge the story that your distress proves something permanently wrong with you.
• Create distance from spiraling thoughts by using reappraisal, time perspective, or self-distancing.
• Experiment with multiple anti-rumination tools instead of expecting one technique to solve every loop.

Reflection Questions

• What recurring thought loop in your life feels productive on the surface but mostly leaves you more stuck or distressed?
• Which zooming-out strategy—reappraisal, mental time travel, awe, labeling emotions, or self-distancing—might help you loosen your grip on that spiral?