𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀 (Thread)

Have you wondered why news coverage is predominantly negative?

Have you noticed that we dwell on the unpleasant and traumatic events much more than pleasant ones?

We tend to remember that one negative comment or insult more clearly than the other hundreds of compliments.

We replay arguments in our head, overthinking what we should have said.

We vividly remember our mistakes and embarrassing moments. Even if they happened ages ago.

Here's the thing.

The survival of our ancestors depended on their skill of avoiding danger.

They had to always be on the lookout for threats and react instantly. Paying attention to negative stuff was literally a matter of life and death.

Those who were attuned to danger and paid more attention to bad things around them were more likely to survive. And pass on their genes.

So our brains evolved to respond much more — emotionally and physically — to averse stimuli.

The Negativity Bias is our tendency to give much more psychological weight to bad experiences than good experiences.

That's why people will do much more to avoid pain than seek pleasure.

That’s why urgencies and deadlines are such good motivators.

Bad emotions, bad parenting and negative feedback have more impact than good ones.

We are more motivated to avoid “bad” self-definitions than to seek good ones.

In a way, our negativity bias also makes us more prone to other cognitive biases.

Focusing on negative stuff activates our sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system.

In such a situation the reptilian brain gains more influence, making you act irrationally.

The negativity bias manifests as loss aversion in behavioral economics.

To most people, losing something feels worse than gaining the same thing.

When people are given a choice of picking between a “guaranteed $20” or “25% probability of getting $100”, most will pick the former.

Even though it makes logical sense to pick the latter.

(Look up Prospect Theory to dig deeper into this.)

When it’s about taking a risk, we focus more on all that could go wrong, versus all that might go well.

Our brain is wired to play it safe. Back in the days, taking a risk could literally result in death.

But today we face no such dangers. We need to rewire our brains.

Here are a few ideas to tackle the Negativity Bias:

𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

The first step towards overcoming our cognitive biases is to acknowledge them and become more self-aware.

By being mindful of the negativity bias, you can consciously choose to ignore the false alarms and realize when you’re needlessly dwelling on something unpleasant.

You already know how you can become more mindful and self-aware. Make meditation a non-negotiable habit.

𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀

Our brain is like velcro for negative experiences, but teflon for positive ones.

Negative experiences are quickly registered and stored in our emotional memory (That’s why “once burned, twice shy”).

But most positive experiences pass through the brain like water through a sieve, unless they are very novel or intense.

So you need to build up your store of positive mental images to address the imbalance the negativity bias predisposes you to.

Learn to be more present.

When you have a positive experience, engage all your senses and soak it in. Even if it’s something insignificant.

The longer you hold something in your awareness, the stronger it’s imprinted in your memory.

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲

Since we mostly tend to remember the negative stuff, it’s important that we take some time out to think of all the stuff we’re grateful for.

The idea is to make it a habit.

It could be as simple as consciously thinking and feeling grateful for all the good things in your life just before you go to sleep.

Gratitude has been proven to increase happiness, reduce anxiety & depression, strengthen the immune system, improve sleep. Big list of benefits.

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱

Recognize that you can consciously and intentionally control where you’re putting your attention. It’s your most valuable asset.

The things you decide to give your attention to not only influence how you feel, but also how you perform.

We construct our internal reality by the way we direct our attention.

More often than not, our minds will focus on the negative aspects of any situation.

And if we constantly focus on the negatives, our perception will get reshaped into seeing negatives in everything.

That’s why it is important to train our brains to look at the bright side of things.

So that it can counterbalance our negativity bias.

And it’s a skill. It takes effort and deliberate practice to learn to put our attention where it serves us best.

𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆

Yes, we need to cultivate more positivity in our life. But we are far more influenced by negative things than positive things.

So eliminating the negative stuff should get priority.

Cut out toxic people from your life.

Curate your news and social media feeds to remove sources of constant negativity.

Keep your environment clean.

Avoid arguments.

All little things add up

The negativity bias shows up in every area of our life — mental health, relationships, business, career. And it influences all our decisions.

Hope you understand how important it is to actively tackle this problem.

Onwards and Upwards.