Warning : this could cause stress and burn out .
Why we co-ruminate If we look at the theory behind why individuals ruminate , it may shed some light on why friends co-ruminate . According to a leading theory on rumination , people believe that it will help them find answers and make them feel better . So if two people believe rumination is beneficial , then working together to coruminate to find answers may seem like a useful thing to do , as two heads may appear better than one . But focusing on problems and negative emotion together can increase negative beliefs and moods – and result in a greater need to co-ruminate .
Traditionally , therapy has not prioritised tackling rumination or co-rumination directly as maintaining factors in psychological distress . Instead , approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy ( CBT ) have aimed to challenge only the content of rumination . Humanistic approaches ( such as counselling ) have provided conditions to potentially ruminate on the content of problems . And psychodynamic approaches ( such as psychoanalysis ) have aimed to analyse the content of rumination .