Is Negativity Bias Holding You Back?
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 2, 2023
- 5 min read
Written by: Grace Jones, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What do you do when your plans don’t go to plan? Do you rely on grit, determination and persistence, or do you have a more strategic way of making progress, despite setbacks.
In your search for success and personal growth, you will inevitably encounter obstacles that hinder your progress, blow you off course or present you with unexpected challenges. It may even lead you to question yourself and your abilities.
Do you cope by brushing it off as something you didn’t really want anyway, while deep down a part of you is wishing that could have turned out differently this time?
The way we deal with setbacks and failure can impact how we approach things in the future, and that’s where our Negativity Bias plays a starring role.
What is the negativity bias?
It’s an evolutionary hand-me-down from our cave-dwelling ancestors, and is what lies behind our tendency to give more attention and weight to negative information or experiences compared to positive ones. This bias was what helped our ancestors to identify and avoid potential threats to survival.
It has served us well in evolutionary terms, but the world has changed and today it can impact our ability to deal with challenges, and not in a good way.
How does it work?
It predisposes the brain to react more strongly to negative stimuli than to positive stimuli. Studies have shown that there’s a greater surge in electrical activity in the brain when you see a picture of something negative than when you see a picture of something positive.
This means your brain pays attention to and registers negative comments more readily than positive ones, and explains why, even though you may have many good events in one day, you will always remember and focus on the one bad thing that happened. Why? Because “bad” things are a potential threat, so they grab your attention.
Not only do negative experiences imprint more quickly, but they also linger longer than positive ones.
As Rick Hanson Ph.D., and neuropsychologist puts it “the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones.”
This means that
The brain is designed to be vigilant and wary
We remember insults more than we remember praise
For positive experiences to resonate, they have to occur much more frequently than negative ones.
What effects does this have on our plans and goals?
If you have experienced failure in the past, you might be quicker to give up when facing challenges in the future. What’s happening in the brain is that this bias actually causes greater levels of neural processing by forcing you to pay more attention if it perceives it as potentially dangerous to you. This in turn has an impact on your attitudes and behaviours. You’ll be less inclined to take risks, even calculated ones.
It’s hard to argue that a negative bias isn’t still helpful in some circumstances, but as we grow and society develops, this hardwired tendency is not as useful as it once was. Just like an anchor keeps a ship within the confines of a safe harbour, it also prevents it from sailing to new places. So too, your negativity bias can lie behind your reluctance to take risks if they are perceived as a threat.
Today the majority of risks facing us do not include life and death battles with savage lions or hungry bears. We may instead fear failure, ridicule or being mocked by our peers or family and these perceived threats are where the negativity bias continues to kick in.
Suggestions for re-setting your negativity bias
Step 1 – Reflection
In the period immediately following a set-back your perception of the experience is often warped. You find it hard to see the wood from the trees.
While you might feel the need to react immediately, oftentimes taking a break and reflecting on what’s happened can be the most powerful thing to do.
When doing this be aware that due to the negativity bias your mind will default to ruminating over the experience – interpreting it as a failure and therefore something to be avoided in the future. Knowing that you have a negativity bias will help you to recognize when you’re drawn to dwell on the negative aspects.
Choose instead to become curious and take a step back. In this way you give yourself the mental and the energetic space to process your emotions and thoughts without making any impulsive decisions or judgements.
If you start to question yourself, who you are and what you stand for, be aware that it will impact any decision you make
Almost all bad decisions are made from an emotional state. As Neale Donald Walsch said “Every decision you make – every decision – is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are”.
So, when reflecting, focus on what you can learn from the experience. Share your challenges and feelings with someone you trust, like a mentor, coach or friend. Talking it out can offer new insights, encouragement, and provide emotional support.
Step 2 – Play the “what if” game
This is a powerful exercise that can help you adapt your view of the experience or event by adopting a more balanced and positive perspective.
Not to be confused with wishing that the past had turned out differently, this is designed to open up your mind to the possibility of a different outcome in the future.
When planning how to move forward, instead of catastrophizing possible negative outcomes, consider positive ones instead, calling on what you’ve learned during your period of reflection. While this can be a bit of a challenge at first (I know it was for me) it does get easier with practice.
Step 3 – Responding with power
Take command of your self-talk. We all have an inner voice, which gives us a remarkable tool to overcome the negativity bias.
By refusing to let yourself dwell on the negative, or indulge in rumination, you’ll be able to unleash the potential for positive change. The words you speak to yourself hold immense sway over how you perceive yourself, directly influencing your confidence, actions, and ultimately the outcomes you achieve.
So use encouraging words, and resist any tendency to be self-critical. Simple daily affirmations can open the door to positive change.
Don’t let your Negativity Bias hold you back. While it still has a part to play in our lives, you can mitigate its effects on how you handle failure and setbacks, by reprogramming your default response. It’s well worth the effort.
Grace Jones, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Grace Jones is a former freelance IT Consultant who is very familiar with the stress of working in demanding environments. Ten years ago she chose to study hypnotherapy to better understand how our thoughts influence our behaviour, habits and results. She went on to create the RISE Resilience system, designed to help people understand and effectively manage the increasing levels of stress, anxiety and burnout that so many are struggling with in this post-COVID world. Today she is an enthusiastic speaker, trainer and breathing coach ‒ "Training your brain to work for you..."
