--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The combination of rumination and…" description: "\"The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/sonja-lyubomirsky-22820_biased_the-combination-of-rumination-and-negati_955202.jpg" --- # The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic… ![“The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged, powerless, self-critical, pessimistic, and generally negatively biased.” quote by Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/sonja-lyubomirsky-22820_biased_the-combination-of-rumination-and-negati_955202.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/sonja-lyubomirsky-22820_biased_the-combination-of-rumination-and-negati_955202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/sonja-lyubomirsky-22820_biased_the-combination-of-rumination-and-negati_955202.jpg) > “The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged, powerless, self-critical, pessimistic, and generally negatively biased.” [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ruminating while sad amplifies negative emotions and helplessness. **In simple terms:** Rumination worsens sadness. Key Takeaway Break the rumination cycle. Themes mental health rumination negative affect Mood reflective supportive Type psychological practical When to use this quote - therapy - self‑help - mindfulness practice Key Concepts cognitive loops emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your rumination? - How can you shift focus constructively? A Different Perspective Changing thought patterns can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pessimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pessimistic/) [Powerless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerless/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Rumination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumination/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [Research has shown that even small amounts of processed food alter the chemical balance in our brain and cause negative mood swings along with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilu-henner/research-has-shown-that-even-small-amounts-of-processed-food-alter/) [Marilu Henner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilu-henner/) > [Reading is a heady thing. You can be into the action of someone's thoughts and take a whole trip down someone's ruminations while seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-tudyk/reading-is-a-heady-thing-you-can-be-into-the-action-of-someone-s-2/) [Alan Tudyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-tudyk/) > [Being Fully Present Today Is Not Only A Great Way To Maximize Your Success, But It's A Very Effective Strategy For Relieving Stress As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/being-fully-present-today-is-not-only-a-great-way-to-maximize-your/) Pacifiersucker > [Mann's Death in Venice actually contains a snippet of philosophy about the second question, when Aschenbach, collapsed in the plaza, engages in his quasi-Socratic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/mann-s-death-in-venice-actually-contains-a-snippet-of-philosophy/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [ Here is the interesting twist:\[McLeod\] Campbell came to his views through reading Jonathan Edwards who suggested at one point in his ruminations on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/here-is-the-interesting-twist-mcleod-campbell-came-to-his-views/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [It would be much better if I could only stop thinking. Thoughts are the dullest things. Duller than flesh. They stretch out and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-would-be-much-better-if-i-could-only-stop-thinking-thoughts-are/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Issue #3: Non-Introspective Rumination and Focus on Losses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/issue-3-non-introspective-rumination-and-focus-on-losses/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [“I have a memory like a baseball glove, so please, don’t toss me a basketball-sized rumination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-have-a-memory-like-a-baseball-glove-so-please-don-t-toss-me-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [ \[Macon Blair\] wrote a beautiful - once it was kicking off and we were gonna make the movie - he sent me this really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-wood/macon-blair-wrote-a-beautiful-once-it-was-kicking-off-and-we-were/) [Elijah Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-wood/) > [“One of the most difficult things to remember is to remember to remember. We forget that we live in a body with senses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-to-remember-is-to-remember-to/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [I believe Fernand Point is one of the last true gourmands of the 20th century. His ruminations are extraordinary and thought-provoking. He has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keller/i-believe-fernand-point-is-one-of-the-last-true-gourmands-of-the-20th/) [Thomas Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keller/) > [It is possible that the malice of writers has been overrated (by myself among others). Reading their ruminations on their craft, one sees why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfrid-sheed/it-is-possible-that-the-malice-of-writers-has-been-overrated-by/) [Wilfrid Sheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfrid-sheed/) > [“... Join me with my rumination of the human you warned me of." -Abanir to Rabel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-may-b-bandiola/join-me-with-my-rumination-of-the-human-you-warned-me-of-abanir-to/) [Teresa May B. Bandiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-may-b-bandiola/) > [“Sitting to think of what to write will only set your ass on fire, give you headache, twist your face to look stupid, instead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/sitting-to-think-of-what-to-write-will-only-set-your-ass-on-fire-give/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I spend many months in apparently listless rumination out of which I hope something will emerge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-spend-many-months-in-apparently-listless-rumination-out-of-which-i/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) ## More by Sonja Lyubomirsky > [The practice of gratitude is incompatible with negative emotions and may actually diminish or deter such feelings as anger, bitterness, and greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/the-practice-of-gratitude-is-incompatible-with-negative-emotions-and/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [I use the term happiness to refer to the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one's life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/i-use-the-term-happiness-to-refer-to-the-experience-of-joy/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [It is equally important to investigate wellness as it is to study misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/it-is-equally-important-to-investigate-wellness-as-it-is-to-study/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [It turns out that the process of working toward a goal, participating in a valued and challenging activity, is as important to well-being as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/it-turns-out-that-the-process-of-working-toward-a-goal-participating/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/people-prone-to-joyful-anticipation-skilled-at-obtaining-pleasure/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [Find a happy person, and you will find a project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/find-a-happy-person-and-you-will-find-a-project/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [Forgiving people are less likely to be hateful, depressed, hostile, anxious, angry, and neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/forgiving-people-are-less-likely-to-be-hateful-depressed-hostile/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [Happiness is not out there for us to find. The reason that it's not out there is that it's inside us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/happiness-is-not-out-there-for-us-to-find-the-reason-that-it-s-not/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [In a nutshell, the fountain of happiness can be found in how you behave, what you think, and what goals you set every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/in-a-nutshell-the-fountain-of-happiness-can-be-found-in-how-you/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [If we observe genuinely happy people, we shall find that they do not just sit around being contented. They make things happen. They pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/if-we-observe-genuinely-happy-people-we-shall-find-that-they-do-not/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [“D. A., and Kahneman, D. (1998). Does living in California make people happy?: A focusing illusion in judgments of life satisfaction. Psychological Science, 9: 340–46.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/d-a-and-kahneman-d-1998-does-living-in-california-make-people-happy-a/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [I prefer to think of the creation or construction of happiness, because research shows that it's in our power to fashion it for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/i-prefer-to-think-of-the-creation-or-construction-of-happiness/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [...The more a person is inclined to gratitude, the less likely he or she is to be depressed, anxious, lonely, envious, or neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/the-more-a-person-is-inclined-to-gratitude-the-less-likely-he-or-she/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [“Approximately one-third of all homes in 1940 did not have running water, indoor toilets, or bathtub/showers, and more than half had no central heating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/approximately-one-third-of-all-homes-in-1940-did-not-have-running/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [Thus the key to happiness lies not in changing our genetic makeup (which is impossible) and not in changing our circumstances (i.e., seeking wealth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/thus-the-key-to-happiness-lies-not-in-changing-our-genetic-makeup/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) [Explore all 27 Sonja Lyubomirsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) ## More Biased quotes > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. 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Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digital-media-are-biased-toward-replication-and-storage-our-digital/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“I pick up a copy of Newsweek on the plane and immediately notice how biased, slanted, and opinionated all the U.S. newsmagazine articles are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-pick-up-a-copy-of-newsweek-on-the-plane-and-immediately-notice-how/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Yes, the mainstream media is painfully biased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/yes-the-mainstream-media-is-painfully-biased/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [I think I'm the best at everything that I do. I may be biased because it's me. But if you ask me that, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-ron/i-think-i-m-the-best-at-everything-that-i-do-i-may-be-biased-because/) [Cam'ron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-ron/) > [I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth, Not the liest truth, But the highest truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-fair-and-balanced-truth-not-the-biased/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [It is quite exhilarating to speak about a God who has an incredible bias, a notorious bias in favor of the downtrodden. You look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-is-quite-exhilarating-to-speak-about-a-god-who-has-an-incredible/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Well, being a black man in America and growing up in this society, my view of the justice system is pretty much set. 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