Yale psychology professor Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, an expert on depression, has studied our penchant for self-punishing rumination when we face a problem -- a tendency that many of us have indulged during the past eight months.

CNN: What really makes people happy

But large organizations face another problem when it comes to innovation.

FORBES: IDEO: How Big Companies Can Learn From Start-ups

Most successful small businesses face a problem when they need to grow because they are overly dependent on one finite resource - for instance, the time and expertise of the lone baker who starts her own business.

BBC: American Giant: The problems of being an overnight success

Obesity drug maker Arena Pharmaceuticals might also face a REMS problem when its lorcaserin goes before an FDA panel on Sept. 16.

FORBES: The FDA's New Power

It's the same problem that we face when we talk about Anwar, the oil that's up in Alaska.

NPR: Gulf Oil Discovery Could Have Far-Reaching Effect

Giant economies do not face this problem so acutely because even when trade has been liberalised, imports naturally tend to be a lower share of GDP.

ECONOMIST: BRICs, emerging markets and the world economy