Why Can’t We Let Things Go? The Science of Stress and Rumination

Explore how cognitive biases and self-reference shape stress and rumination in this 45-minute online lecture by a leading professor. Why do some people let stress go? In this 45-minute lecture, a top professor examines why some people seem to shrug off stressful encounters while others cannot let them go. The talk explores how people construe themselves and the world, how cognitive biases shape emotional reactions and well-being, and what habitual patterns of self-reference may mean for mental health. How research measures emotion and self-reference The professor studies the neuroscience of human identity and emotion using multiple levels of analysis: first- and third-person qualitative reports, behavioral task performance, physiological responses, and patterns of neural activity and connectivity derived primarily through functional MRI. Mindfulness and resilience The lecture also considers how cognitive training practices such as mindfulness meditation may foster resilience against stress and reduce vulnerability to affective disorders such as depression.