Repetitive thinking about negative emotions or events is strongly associated with worse mental health, whereas repetitive positive thought is generally believed to be beneficial. This observation is at odds with the idea that all forms of repetitive thinking share underlying neural mechanisms. To resolve this apparent discrepancy, the present study examined relationships between subjective affect and neural mechanisms during periods of sustained processing of positive (savoring) and negative (rumination) emotion. We also examined potential common moderators of savoring and rumination including memory specificity and sleep quality. Results indicated that individuals who experience high positive affect during savoring also are likely to experience more intense negative affect during rumination. fMRI-derived brain activity revealed common mechanisms of rumination and savoring. Memory specificity had common effects on neural correlates of rumination and savoring; sleep quality was not associated with mechanisms of savoring or rumination. These results suggest that repetitive engagement with positive and negative affect is similar both subjectively and mechanistically. Clinical interventions for rumination may benefit from capitalizing on preserved capacity for savoring.

重复思考消极情绪或事件与较差的心理健康密切相关，而重复积极的想法通常被认为是有益的。这一观察结果与所有形式的重复思维都共享潜在神经机制的观点相矛盾。为了解决这种明显的差异，本研究检查了积极（品味）和消极（沉思）情绪持续处理期间主观情感与神经机制之间的关系。我们还研究了品味和沉思的潜在常见调节因素，包括记忆特异性和睡眠质量。结果表明，在品味过程中经历高度积极情绪的人也可能在沉思过程中经历更强烈的消极情绪。功能磁共振成像衍生的大脑活动揭示了沉思和品味的常见机制。记忆特异性对沉思和品味的神经相关性有共同的影响。睡眠质量与品味或沉思机制无关。这些结果表明，积极和消极情感的重复参与在主观上和机械上都是相似的。沉思的临床干预可能会受益于保留的品味能力。