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From one of the nation's preeminent experts in the study of women and emotion, a breakthrough new book based on the author's award-winning researchIt's not a surprise that our fast-paced, overly analytical culture is pushing people-especially women-to spend countless hours thinking about negative ideas, feelings, and experiences. Renowned psychologist Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema calls this "overthinking." Her groundbreaking research shows that an increasing number of women-more than half of those in her extensive study-are doing it too much and too often, hindering their ability to lead a satisfying life. Overthinking can be anything from fretting about big questions such as "What am I doing with my life?" to losing sleep over a friend's innocent comment. It is causing women to feel sad, anxious, or seriously depressed, and she challenges the assumption that constantly expressing and analyzing our emotions is a good thing. In Women Who Think Too Much, Nolen-Hoeksema provides concrete strategies that can be used to escape these negative thoughts, move to higher ground, and avoid future traps.… (more)
Was looking for more of science oriented view, but got self-help with a scientific basis instead. Mildly interesting, especially if perseverating is an issue for you. Sort of got bogged down in case studies. Certain of the basic premises were worth a look: "overthinking" is a modern malaise and a female one for the most part. Overthinking is ruminating way too much over things that do not go right in one's life. The author's belief is that this is a natural function of the way the brain works in creating cognitive webs as well as the female tendency to be more connected and attuned to one's emotions. All this is amplified by the modern tendency to be unconnected socially or self-centered, to feel entitled to have all we desire (and deserve), and the failure to come to grips with the fact that, yes, sometimes life sucks. Her research has shown that the older generations (the ones who lived through world wars, the depression, the dust bowl, etc. etc.) tend to take a deep breath and just get on with it. Of course, as she points out, they had much larger support systems, cohesive families, and an agreed upon values system. That helps. What the author does do is offer some methods for dealing with circular thinking that are worthwhile and very much in tune with cognitive therapy. ( )
I was very sad to hear that the author of this book died at the age of 53 on January 2, 2013. While I can't say I always admired the author's writing style, I appreciated the content of what she was saying. I especially liked how she brought a feminist perspective to the stress that many women face and how overthinking, as a coping mechanism, only makes things worse. ( )
An interesting self-help book which is not only for women. I recognized many of the symptoms about endless-thinking that she describes from my personal experience, I even found that some of the tips I've already successfully used at one time or another. I can recommend this book wholeheartedly to anyone who tends to think endlessly about all kinds of things whilst getting ever the more depressed and desperate. ( )
From one of the nation's preeminent experts in the study of women and emotion, a breakthrough new book based on the author's award-winning researchIt's not a surprise that our fast-paced, overly analytical culture is pushing people-especially women-to spend countless hours thinking about negative ideas, feelings, and experiences. Renowned psychologist Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema calls this "overthinking." Her groundbreaking research shows that an increasing number of women-more than half of those in her extensive study-are doing it too much and too often, hindering their ability to lead a satisfying life. Overthinking can be anything from fretting about big questions such as "What am I doing with my life?" to losing sleep over a friend's innocent comment. It is causing women to feel sad, anxious, or seriously depressed, and she challenges the assumption that constantly expressing and analyzing our emotions is a good thing. In Women Who Think Too Much, Nolen-Hoeksema provides concrete strategies that can be used to escape these negative thoughts, move to higher ground, and avoid future traps.
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Sei una donna che pensa troppo? che analizza, vaglia, critica, elucubra, si arrovella? Rimuovere cronicamente le proprie sensazioni negative porta, nel lungo periodo, a nevrosi sicure, oltre che ad appiattire la propria personalità. Ma, al contrario, chi pensa troppo rischia di vivere poco... In questo saggio l'autrice, docente di Psicologia all'Università del Michigan, spiega come non arrovellarsi su problemi futili, ma mette in guardia da soluzioni semplicistiche.
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«Quando si “rumina” si torna e ritorna sui propri pensieri e stati d'animo negativi, riesaminandoli… Noi donne siamo capaci di ruminare su qualunque cosa. Spesso ci sembra che questo atteggiamento faccia semplicemente parte dell'essere donna. Ma l'abitudine a pensare troppo può risultare anche deleteria. Interferisce con la capacità di risolvere i problemi. Allontana amici e famigliari. E può nuocere seriamente al nostro equilibrio psichico. […] Questo libro dimostra che molte sono le vie che conducono alla ruminazione, ma molte sono anche le vie per uscirne. Possiamo realmente sconfiggere la tendenza a imprigionarci nei circoli viziosi della mente e riprendere il controllo delle nostre vite, rendendole più appaganti e vincenti. Facciamola da subito: miglioreremo come persone e migliorerà la società.»
Rimanere intrappolati nei circoli viziosi della mente, rimuginando a lungo per una parola sgarbata del partner o di una collega; arrovellarsi, perdendosi in un labirinto di sensi di colpa, autoaccuse e frustrazioni… Come si può definire questo atteggiamento comune a tante persone, in particolare di sesso femminile? «Ruminare» è l'efficacissima espressione coniata per indicare appunto questa malsana abitudine, spesso addirittura pericolosa, che impedisce di agire in modo proficuo per affrontare con lucidità i problemi, ridimensionarne la portata ed elaborare efficaci strategie per risolverli. Perché elucubrare troppo e invano fa male a noi stessi ma anche a chi ci sta accanto e ci vuole bene, arrivando spesso a compromettere i rapporti personali e professionali. Questo saggio piacevolissimo, in cui in tanti si riconosceranno, spiega come e perché si finisce nella morsa della «ruminazione» e soprattutto che cosa bisogna concretamente fare per uscire da questa trappola terribile, fornendo un valido supporto per gestire finalmente le proprie relazioni con una consapevole sicurezza e un maggiore equilibrio interiore. La ricerca di Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, psicologa e docente universitaria, è stata insignita di diversi riconoscimenti. Attualmente l'autrice vive con il marito e il figlio ad Ann Arbor, nel Michigan.
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