Can Sensory Stimulation Decrease Rumination? An Exploration of the Influence of Senses on Repeated Mental Simulation

Struggling to assemble an Ikea product, failing to make a purchase on a website, seeing a recently bought product break down, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, waiting at the supermarket are only but a few of the multiple occasions for rumination. Although seemingly harmless, rumination is a key concept for the understanding of cognitive functioning (Denson, 2012; Gomez and Debenedetti, 2010) especially because it partially or fully mediates the effect of negative emotions on consumer behavior (Porath, MacInnis, and Folkes, 2010; Strizhakova, Tsarenko, and Ruth, 2012). But little research has investigated the means of reducing it (Strizhakova, Tsarenko, and Ruth, 2012). Two empirical studies show that an arousing visual ambiance (study 1) and a combination of scent and music (study 2) reduce the intensity of rumination.