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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 21, 2025

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

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Published on: May 19, 2015

Goal-directed rumination and its antagonistic effects on problem solving: a two-week diary study.

¹Department of Work and Organisational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.

Anxiety, Stress, and Coping

|May 13, 2020

Summary

Goal-directed rumination negatively impacts problem-solving through stress and negative mood, but can positively influence it via increased attention and effort. This study explores rumination

Keywords:

Goal-directed rumination attention diary study effort problem solving stress

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Rumination, or repetitive negative thinking, often impairs well-being and problem-solving.
However, it may also mobilize resources for enhanced problem-solving efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the indirect effects of goal-directed rumination on subjective problem-solving performance.
To examine mediators influencing the rumination-problem solving relationship in daily life.

Main Methods:

A two-week diary study involving 147 students completing daily surveys.
Analysis using a multiple mediation model within a multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) framework.

Main Results:

Perceived stress and negative mood negatively mediated the rumination-problem solving link.
Attention and effort positively mediated this relationship.
A negative direct and overall effect of rumination on problem solving was found.

Conclusions:

Goal-directed rumination has a dual effect: negative via stress/mood, positive via attention/effort.
Understanding these mediating pathways is crucial for managing rumination's impact on problem-solving.