A problem shared is a problem halved. Research by Age UK shows that only 29% of adults share their worries, but of these 36% feel brighter as a result; 26% feel relief having confided in someone, and 8% feel that the problem recedes once shared. Both the Sun and Daily Mail newspapers recently highlighted research by Southwest University in Chongqing, China, which asked a similar question in relation to teenagers: are they happier the more they “co-ruminate”.
The Sun interpreted this as : “Whining can actually make us happier – but only in a key setting”. And the Daily Mail as : “Ranting with your friends can actually make you happier, study finds”. But does misery really like company so much that we might enjoy being miserable? Let’s take a closer look at the study.
The researchers defined co-rumination as communication where people overthink and repeatedly discuss personal issues and negative emotions within a group for social support. They are conversations defined not only by the pessimistic personal topics discussed, but the group support in discussing such topics together. This process of collective rumination is key to psychotherapy, where it is not only the telling of negative experiences to another, but the experience of having your experiences validated, that has the potential to enable you to feel better – or, at least, less bad.
Co-rumination is more effective if the speaking involves what the Southwest University researchers call an “intimate, .
