What is negativity?

The word negative can be applied to many things from chemistry to describe neutrons, to the state of a financial situation. But in this instance, we are referring to a negative state of mind or attitude.

The negative bias

Negative bias refers to a cognitive tendency or inclination for individuals to focus more on negative information or experiences compared to positive ones. It affects how people perceive, interpret, and remember information, often leading to a disproportionate emphasis on negative aspects or outcomes.

When explaining negative bias, it’s important to convey that it is a common human trait and not necessarily indicative of a pessimistic outlook or personality flaw. Negative bias can be attributed to evolutionary factors, as our ancestors needed to be more attuned to potential threats in order to ensure survival.

Let’s start with a definition:

We could start by defining negative bias as the tendency to pay more attention to, remember, or give greater significance to negative information or experiences compared to positive ones.

The negative bias has its roots in our evolutionary past, an effective alarm system we now call the ‘Fight, Flight and Freeze response. Early humans who were more alert to dangers such as being attacked by a sabre-toothed tiger, and potential risks, like famine and disease, were more likely to survive and pass on their genes. This bias helped our ancestors remain vigilant and respond quickly to threats.

How does it affect people?

We may all know someone whom we consider negative. A negative person tends to be downbeat, pessimistic, disagreeable and sceptical.

It’s all down to our cognitive processes: Our brains are wired to pay more attention to, or prioritise any negative stimuli, which triggers a stronger emotional response and activates the amygdala, the brain region associated with fear and threat processing (fight, flight and freeze response). This bias can influence perception, memory, decision-making, and judgment.

Another way the negative bias affects us is in our attention and memory. This means that negative events or experiences that happen to us or around us, tend to capture our attention more easily and are more likely to be remembered vividly compared to positive ones. Also, negative information may stand out more so we can be inclined to go over and over it in our minds, and this can lead to us having a distorted perception of the overall reality.

What problems does it cause?

As well as affecting what we spend more attention on and emphasising negative experiences, the negative bias can impact on our emotions and can contribute to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and pessimism. This can be particularly problematic when dealing with anger. a negative mindset can significantly impact a person’s ability to manage anger effectively. When someone consistently maintains a negative mindset, it can exacerbate their anger and make it more challenging to regulate their emotions in heated situations. For more information on understanding and managing anger, please use the link: https://www.susangraingertherapy.co.uk/anger-management/

When negative information is given more weight, positive experiences may be undervalued or overlooked, leading to a skewed perception of one’s life or surroundings.

What can you do to change it?

In order to begin to overcome the negative bias, we need to first be aware of it. This is first step toward mitigating its effects. In working with clients on this issue I encourage the practice of mindfulness, self-reflection, and seeking out positive experiences intentionally. Engaging in positive self-talk, gratitude exercises, and reframing negative situations can also help counterbalance negative bias.

It’s all about balance!

As we now know, the negative bias has and continues to play an important role in maintaining our safety and its purpose from through our evolutionary development hasn’t changed. The threats we now face is different but are, nonetheless still threats and are perceived that way by the amygdala – the part of the brain responsible for the fight, flight and freeze response.

Therefore, it is essential to achieve a balance in perceiving and interpreting the information we are bombarded with every single day in an effective way.

I encourage and promote activities which support critical thinking, seek alternative perspectives and allow my clients the opportunity to consciously evaluate both positive and negative aspects of a situation.

Positive self-talk can be a really useful and simple way to begin to challenge and over-developed sense of negativity. Also, looking after ourselves properly plays a large part in creating the headspace to make and sustain change. For more tips and information on Self-Care, check out the website workshop page: https://www.susangraingertherapy.co.uk/workshops/