The Social Cost of Perseverative Cognition: Impairing Interpersonal Engagement Propensity Through Cognitive and Autonomic Dysregulation

ABSTRACT

Perseverative cognition, the repetitive, sustained activation of cognitive representations about past stressors or anticipated threats, is known to impair attention and disrupt emotional and physiological regulation; yet, its interpersonal consequences remain poorly understood. This study tested whether a brief induction of perseverative cognition reduces interpersonal engagement propensity, defined as the willingness to initiate social interactions. In a within‐subjects design, participants completed two counterbalanced sessions: (i) a perseverative cognition induction, involving the recall and description of a personally salient, recurrent, and emotionally distressing event; and (ii) a control condition, involving the description of the plot of a dramatic but non‐self‐referential film or book. Cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses were assessed using self‐reported measures of thought distraction, negative affect, heart rate (HR), and vagally mediated HR variability (HRV), respectively. Interpersonal engagement propensity was evaluated through perceived self‐other overlap (Inclusion of the Other in the Self, IOS), preferred interpersonal closeness, and automatic imitation. Compared with the control condition, the perseverative cognition induction elicited higher distraction, greater negative affect, elevated HR, and reduced HRV. Greater thought distraction and lower HRV were associated with reduced preferred interpersonal closeness, indicating that cognitive interference and diminished parasympathetic regulation may both contribute to reduced willingness to engage with others following perseverative cognition. These results suggest that perseverative cognition can undermine social engagement in healthy individuals, highlighting its potential role as a transdiagnostic mechanism contributing to social withdrawal.