Negativity Bias

Happy hump day! We are half ways through another week, how great is that?! Since we’re in the middle, I thought a half-full/half-empty topic seemed appropriate. Let’s talk about this pesky little thing called the negativity bias. It’s something we all have, but some of us are better at suppressing than others.

I’m sure you’re all thinking, “What in the world is the negativity bias?” Well, I’m glad you asked! (Cuz I was gonna tell you anyways.) The negativity bias is something psychology has identified as the phenomenon in which our brains give more weight to the negative things around us rather than to neutral or positive things, even if they are of the same intensity. Some researches believe they are given nearly 3x the amount of weight of positive experiences! Not only do we notice more negative things more readily, we dwell on them for much longer. This effects all realms of our lives, and explains why we struggle to get over traumatic experiences at the same rate as positive ones. The negativity bias effects our relationships, careers, decisions, and all other aspects of life.

Why do we do this? Why do our brains pay more attention to bad things than good? We definitely learn from bad experiences, but it can be damaging to ourselves and relationships to always look at the bad things. Psychologists believe the negativity bias is an evolutionary trait. Consider cavemen(women). When they always looked for the negative things in their daily lives, they learned what could kill them and what helps them stay alive. This contributed to longer survival. Today, we don’t need this trait nearly as much to stay alive. Are there times when this could be useful? Absolutely. If you’re a law enforcement officer, it could absolutely save your life to assume someone getting out of their car on a routine stop is trying to kill you. You would then take appropriate actions to stay alive until you’ve deemed the situation safe. That’s an extreme example. This is not always our daily occurrence and especially not for everyone.

Are there negative effects to having the negativity bias? Yes. There are absolutely are. If we are always looking at the negative things in our relationships we can slowly erode them away. When we speak negativity towards our friends, family, or significant others they are weighing that more heavily than any positives we say to them. When we meet someone new and immediately have a negative impression it will be much more challenging to get over it and later have a more accurate image of them. If we only look for negatives in our jobs, we will never enjoy what we do. Having a negative attitude and bias can be detrimental in all aspects of life.

Now, I bet you’re all saying, “Well, if it’s evolutionary isn’t it just the way it is? I can’t change my DNA.” True, it is ingrained in us; but that doesn’t mean we can’t change it. While the negativity bias is in our subconscious, we need to make conscious decisions to take action against it. Stop dwelling on the negative. Dwelling on the negative simply gives it power. Start using positive self-talk. We receive from the Universe what we put into it. If we start thinking more positively we will start receiving more positive experiences. Be careful of what you say out loud and to yourself. Start a gratitude journal. This is a great way to dwell on the positive events of your daily life, and push away the negative. If you really look, I bet more positive things happen to you in one day than negative. Even on our “bad” days. Your brain just puts more emphasis on the negative. Become aware of how you’re perceiving situations. Re-frame how you look at situations that are normally perceived as negative. (All situations are neutral, it’s how we think about them that makes them good or bad. But that’s a conversation for another time.)

All of these things take work. It’s hard. You’re not going to master this in one day, or even one week. It takes time to shift your thinking to be more positive. If you take a good, conscious effort at it, though, you can start seeing the change. It will change your mood, your relationships, your career, and your life.

Here’s a great website I found that gives more details on the negativity bias! https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-bias-4589618

I hope you all have a great second half of your week! The week is half over (that’s a positive way to look at it for me!) and the weekend is soon upon us! Enjoy today. Don’t forget to Find the Positive today! As usual, if you have any questions, comments, or just need to talk please leave a comment or shoot me an email!

My FTP:

1. My little brother so graciously agreed to watch my dog for me this weekend. He’s not the fondest of her and he absolutely did not need to say yes, but he did. I’m so grateful that he’s willing to do that for me!
2. I got a great workout done two mornings in a row. My other brother suggested I try to get my workouts done in the mornings so I always get it done and feel great for the rest of the day. So far I have not been disappointed. It was a great suggestion! I’m also grateful for having a body that can do all I ask of it. I am blessed.
3. I get to see my family the rest of the week and I’m really looking forward to it! I’m grateful I have the ability to be a nomad which enables me to see and help out family whenever I want or am needed. It’s a great opportunity that I have been blessed with.