Rumination: From Basic Mechanisms to Intervention Ethan Kross,
Ph.D. and Julian F. Thayer, Ph.D. Rumination is the continuous
thinking about negative experiences that can influence behaviors
in negative ways. Rumination is relevant for research study
because it affects the body`s autonomic balance, which can
increase risk factors for heart disease and stroke, including
hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol. An individual`s
response to a stressor (the fight or flight response) is an
adaptive function that provides safety for the individual, yet
when a stressor is not present, a person who ruminates remains
in a state of response, which can lead to organic diseases.
Worry prolongs the stress response by anticipatory activation,
slow recovery and sustained activation, recurrent or repeated
activation, or anything that prolongs exposure to the stressor
or its cognitive representation. Major Depressive Disorder and
Generalized Anxiety Disorder are both associated with increased
adverse cardiac events, and indivi