We tend to give more attention and weight to negative stimuli than to positive ones.

Do you find yourself frequently concerned that something might go (terribly) wrong?

When you read the news, do you tend to be more drawn to negative articles rather than positive ones?

When receiving feedback, do you tend to focus more on the critical comments rather than the positive ones?

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Humans have an intrinsic negativity bias: we give more attention to negative stimuli than to positive ones, and negative stimuli impact us emotionally stronger and longer than positive stimuli of the same magnitude.

 

Losing a thousand dollars affects us more than winning the same amount (Kahneman, see References section). It requires at least five positive interactions between partners to outweigh a single negative one (Gottman, see References section). And as psychologist Paul Rozin observed: a single cockroach completely ruins the appeal of a bowl of cherries, but a cherry does nothing for a bowl of cockroaches.

 Origins of the negativity bias

The negativity bias offers an evolutionary advantage by making us more attuned to potential threats to our safety. In certain situations, adopting a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach is essential.

Our brain gives priority to threatening events, such as encountering a predator or seeing an angry face. It responds faster to emotionally charged words implying danger, like ‘war’ or ‘crime’, compared to benign words like ‘peace’ or ‘love.’ Similarly, strong opinions that conflict with our own beliefs are given priority. Threatening experiences are rapidly sent along a neural highway directly to the brain's emotional processing centre, bypassing the slower, conscious processing areas. This fast response enhances our chances of survival and increases our ability to pass on our genes.

Naturally, the negativity bias varies among individuals, as diversity fuels natural selection. Additionally, evidence suggests that women, on average, pay more attention to negative stimuli than men and exhibit a stronger emotional response to such stimuli.

Examples of the negativity bias 

The negativity bias can cause us to lose perspective on what truly constitutes a problem, leading us to perceive threats that are more imagined than real. This can negatively affect our emotions and behaviour, making us feel bad or act in ways that harm our relationships with others

👉 Attention: You are more likely to notice what is wrong in situations than what is good. You dwell on unpleasant experiences much more than on pleasant ones.

 

👉 Media Consumption: You are more drawn to negative articles than positive ones, seeking out news that highlights problems and dangers.

 

👉 Weight: You place more importance on people's mistakes than on their positive behaviours. This can lead to more negative interactions with others. For example, friendships that take years to develop can be damaged by a single negative action.

 

 👉 Memory: You vividly remember moments when you felt insulted, even those that happened many years ago, while positive experiences may fade more quickly from memory.

 

👉 Feedback: Negative feedback has a greater impact than positive feedback. You tend to react much more emotionally to critical comments than to praise.

 

👉 Happiness: The negativity bias contributes to why sustained happiness can be challenging. It predisposes you to focus more on negative experiences and threats, making it harder to maintain a positive outlook and enjoy lasting happiness.

 

How to reduce the adverse  impact of the negativity bias

Protecting yourself from the negative impact of biases can be challenging and sometimes impractical, but it is often worth the effort when the stakes are high. Many techniques can help counteract the negativity bias, and a few are listed below. Start by increasing your awareness of your own negativity bias. Then, choose a technique that seems suitable for you and try it consistently for at least two weeks to see if it works. If the technique doesn't work, reflect on what you’ve learned and try a different approach. It’s okay if some methods don’t work right away—persistence and experimentation are key.

 

🛠️ Increase your awareness

The first step to counteracting the negativity bias is to become aware of the moments when you focus on the negative. When you notice such a moment, observe your thoughts and feelings objectively, and ask yourself what triggered your negativity. Was it something someone else did or said? An upcoming event? A past negative experience or insult? Or were you simply feeling tired or hungry?

 Don’t blame yourself for your negative thoughts and feelings. There's nothing wrong with you—your brain has evolved this way: safety first! To increase your awareness, you can keep a weekly log of each trigger and count the number of times you focused on the negative because of it. Remember, everyone has a negativity bias that can sometimes distort their perception of reality, skewing it too much toward the negative.

🛠️ Improve your physical health

Not sleeping well, feeling tired, or being hungry can all trigger a focus on the negative. By improving your physical health, you can reduce the impact of the negativity bias. Prioritise good sleep, balanced nutrition, and regular exercise to maintain optimal physical condition. When your body is well-rested and nourished, your mind is better equipped to handle stress and maintain a more balanced outlook, helping to counteract the tendency to focus on negative thoughts and experiences.

  

🛠️ Balance your perspective

When you find yourself focusing your thoughts too much on negatives, create a more balanced perspective by focusing them also on positives.

 

If you think negatively about a future situation, ask yourself:

🤔  How could this situation turn out better than I currently think?

 

Making a list of potential positive outcomes makes you realise that the future situation doesn’t necessarily have to end badly. This might energize you to take actions that make a good outcome more likely.

 

If you are focusing solely or primarily on the negative aspects of a situation or person, ask yourself:

🤔  What positive aspects does this situation or person have?

 

Creating a list of positive aspects gives you a more balanced view of the situation or person, which can change your attitude and behaviour towards this situation or person. For instance, in addition to focusing on what annoys you in your parents, you also focus on the fact that they care about you.

  

🛠️  Do more positive things and less negative ones

Do more of the things that make you feel good. Spend time with friends, go hiking in nature, listen to music you like, meditate, read a book or do something for someone else.

 

Do less of the things that make you feel negative. Spend less time reading negative news, comparing yourself to others on social media, caring too much about what other people think, or spending time with people with a negative attitude.

 

🛠️  Activate your body

When you are continuously worrying, activate your body to break this pattern. Dance, swim, run, go to the gym, take a sauna or a cold shower. This does not only benefit your mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood, but also benefits your physical health.

  

🛠️  Practice mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness is about paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental way, in full acceptance of whatever emerges (Jon Kabat-Zinn, see References section). Practicing mindfulness meditation can help reduce the negativity bias.

 

Once a day sit down in a quiet and comfortable place and meditate for ten to twenty minutes. Relax your body. Focus your attention on your breath, on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. When thoughts come up in your mind, many of which will be negative, notice them without judgement, without attaching yourself emotionally to them. Thoughts are like clouds floating across the sky, or like guests entering and leaving a hotel. Observe them and let them go. If you find yourself being distracted by your thoughts, that’s totally fine, just return your attention to your breath.

 

🛠️  Practice gratitude

Consistently practicing gratitude can help you counteract the negativity bias. By focusing on the things in your life that you are grateful for, you counteract your focus on negative things. To practice gratitude you can keep a daily gratitude journal, or write down at the start or end of each day three things you are grateful for.

 

🛠️  Visualise positive experiences

When you regularly imagine negative experiences, counteract this pattern by visualising positive experiences.

 

Sit down and close your eyes if that helps you visualise. Visualise one of your favourite positive experiences as vividly as possible, as if you are experiencing it again. Immerse yourself fully in it. Feel the emotions that you felt then. After a minute or two, calmly come back to reality.

  

🛠️  Question your unhelpful thoughts

Our thoughts tend to be untested statements that we believe to be true. Many of our problems are caused by our attachment to these uninvestigated thoughts. Investigate your negative thoughts by evaluating them against this series of questions (from Byron Katie, see References section):

🤔 Is it true?

🤔 Can you absolutely know that it’s true?

🤔 How do you react when you think that thought?

🤔 Who or what would you be without the thought?

If the thought is about someone else, rewrite the thought as if it is about you. So for example the thought ‘John is stupid,’ becomes ‘I am stupid.’ Then ask yourself if this turnaround is less true, equally true as, or truer than your original thought.

 

This investigation process can reduce your attachment to your negative thoughts. For further details see: Question your unhelpful thoughts: Loving What Is.

  

References

Thinking, Fast and Slow; by Daniel Kahneman.

 

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work; by John M. Gottman and Nan Silver.

 

Wherever You Go, There You are; by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

 

Loving what is; by Byron Katie (with Stephen Mitchell).

Read my summary of this book

 

8 Science-Based Ways to Beat Negativity, Psychology Today, by Tchiki Davis, Ph.D

 

What Is Negativity Bias and How Can It Be Overcome?, Positive Psychology, by Catherine Moore, Psychologist, MBA

 

Do Women and Men Respond Differently to Negative News?, Cambridge Core, Stuart Soroka, Elisabeth Gidengil, Patrick Fournier, and Lilach Nir

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