Negativity Bias

List 3 things you don’t like about yourself…

Nailed it in zero time, right?

Now, list 3 things you do like about yourself…

I am guessing it took you a little bit longer to list the things you do like about yourself, right? For that, you can thank Mother Nature.

Noticing first what is wrong in our landscape, both internal and external, and then, what is right, is a a deeply embodied biological tendency, known as Negativity Bias or positive-negative assymetry.

Aeons ago, our ancestors had to ensure survival first (i.e. avoiding saber-toothed animals), before enjoying themselves (i.e. savouring hanging fruits).

As a survival technique up against real, physical threats, our Negativity Bias served us well back in the days.

However, in today’s overstimulated world where threats are mostly imaginary (perceived as such, rather than actually lurking around the corner), our hard-wired Negativity Bias is seriously hacking our emotional and mental well-being.

How?

By making us focus and pay attention more on negatives rather than positives, and making negative stuff seem much more critical than it actually is, more often than not. Also, by dwelling on negative stuff and engaging in rumination, our Negativity Bias keeps us stuck in the past, blocking our way forward by affecting our behaviour, decision-making process and relationships in the present.

By understanding and acknowledging its original intent to protect us, rather than fighting and criticising it, our Negativity Bias can and will serve us better.

Actively and consciously looking for the good and what is working well, once basic OKness has been secured, is a good place to start. A challenging task, yet, oh, so rewarding, once it becomes a daily habit.

Tilt towards goodness, by choice.

You’ve got this. Trust yourself. I trust you.