Susan Nolen-Hoeksema (1959–2013)

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 show more 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. show less

Really heterosexist, but there's some useful information tucked away in here.

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.

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.