Can you measure the difference between thinking and brooding?
Susan Nolen-Hoeksema and Jannay Morrow · A Prospective Study of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress After a Natural Disaster, JPSP 61 · 1991
B · Replicated, size uncertain
The Ruminative Responses Scale measures repetitive self-focus in response to distress. Later work splits it into brooding, a passive comparison of one's situation with an unachieved standard, and reflection, a purposeful attempt to understand. Only brooding consistently predicts depression. A total score blurs the distinction that matters.
ProbeSeparate this week's self-focused episodes into brooding and reflection using that definition. Count each. Act on the ratio, not the total.