Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
Panic Disorder01:27

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent and sudden minutes-long episodes of intense fear, known as panic attacks. These attacks may feel like heart attacks and often happen without warning or a specific cause. They can include symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, chest pain, trembling, sweating, dizziness, and a sense of helplessness. During a panic attack, individuals may feel as though they are experiencing a heart attack or are in a...
The Influence of Affect on Cognition01:29

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

Positive affect significantly influences cognitive processes, including evaluation, memory, creativity, and social judgments. Compared to negative affect, positive emotional states promote more favorable interpretations of stimuli, cognitive flexibility, and heuristic processing. These effects highlight emotions' powerful role in shaping how individuals perceive, remember, and interact with the world.Influence on Evaluation and AttributionWhen individuals experience positive affect, they are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Childhood Trauma and Marital Discord: Indirect Pathways Through Problematic Partner Behaviors.

Journal of child & adolescent trauma·2026
Same author

Intimate relationship distress and incidence of major depression in a U.S. probability sample: A preregistered propensity score analysis.

Journal of psychopathology and clinical science·2026
Same author

Measurement Invariance of and Mean Differences on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) for LGBT and Cisgender, Heterosexual Individuals.

Assessment·2025
Same author

Indirect Pathways From Dysfunctional Attitudes and Attributional Style to Depressive Symptoms Through Imposter Phenomenon.

Journal of clinical psychology·2025
Same author

Gender differences in variability of intimate relationship satisfaction in a multinational sample.

Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)·2025
Same author

Interparental Relationship Discord and Adolescent Psychopathology in a United States Probability Sample.

Research on child and adolescent psychopathology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
08:42

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression

Published on: May 19, 2015

Gender differences in rumination: A meta-analysis.

Daniel P Johnson1, Mark A Whisman

  • 1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, USA ; Institute for Behavior Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, USA.

Personality and Individual Differences
|October 4, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Women ruminate more than men, contributing to higher depression rates. This meta-analysis confirms women’s higher scores in rumination, brooding, and reflection, supporting the response styles theory (RST).

Keywords:
BroodingDepressionGender differenceReflectionRuminationSex difference

More Related Videos

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats
09:07

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats

Published on: February 23, 2015

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
08:42

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression

Published on: May 19, 2015

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats
09:07

Protocol for Studying Extinction of Conditioned Fear in Naturally Cycling Female Rats

Published on: February 23, 2015

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
09:14

Exploring the Neural Correlates of Cognitive Reappraisal in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Using Task-based Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: March 14, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Mental Health

Background:

  • Women experience depression at twice the rate of men starting in adolescence.
  • The response styles theory (RST) posits that women's higher rumination contributes to gender differences in depression.
  • Rumination, characterized by brooding and reflection, is a key cognitive style linked to mood disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate gender differences in rumination among adults using a meta-analysis.
  • To examine gender differences in specific rumination subtypes: brooding and reflection.
  • To assess the findings in the context of the response styles theory and its implications for depression.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis synthesizing data from 59 independent studies (N=14,321) on adult rumination.
  • Separate analyses were conducted for rumination subtypes, including brooding and reflection (k=23).
  • Fixed effects models were employed to determine overall effect sizes for gender differences.

Main Results:

  • Women scored significantly higher than men in overall rumination (d=.24).
  • Significant gender differences favoring women were also found for brooding (d=.19) and reflection (d=.17).
  • Effect sizes for these gender differences were small, despite statistical significance, with no evidence of heterogeneity or publication bias.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the response styles theory by demonstrating that women ruminate more than men.
  • While statistically significant, the small effect sizes suggest rumination is one of several factors contributing to gender differences in depression.
  • Further research can explore the interplay of cognitive styles and biological factors in gender disparities in mental health.