“As humans, we’re wired with an automatic negativity bias, paying more attention to what’s negative than positive.” – Elisha Goldstein
You got a new outfit, it looks great and you are getting tons of compliments. But then, just one person says something spiteful about it, and although you got tons of praise, you can’t help but stew over the negative comment.
Why is that? Why does our mind seem to dwell on the negative?
It makes sense from an evolutionary perspective that our minds are built to look for negative information in the environment and to hold on to it once we find it.
For our prehistoric ancestors, it could cost them their lives to forget about a predator lurking around. For them, as hunter-gatherers, negative information like this saved their lives.
We, however, are no longer faced with those tigers and lions, but hunter-gatherers’ genetic make-up was passed down to us. Our prehistoric ancestors faced the threatening jungle while today’s working-class faces the threatening workplace.
From the brain’s perspective, it’s the same jungle.
I’ve seen and experienced it that it’s difficult to see the upside and it takes hard work. We have to put effort into looking at the bright side of things.
We can’t assume that our mind is just going to do that automatically. Also, it’s easy to keep on tilting back towards the negatives.
Tips on how not to get uncaptured by your own negative thoughts:
• Spend a few minutes every day thinking about the things you are grateful for. Doing this regularly can help it become a habit. Over time, this can help you reduce your negativity bias.
• Increase the time you spend around positive people.
• Read and listen to positive messages daily, especially in the morning.
