One of the most widespread biases capable of hindering judgment and communication is the negativity bias, whereby the human brain is biologically more sensitive to unpleasant news and stimuli than to positive ones. An attitude developed for an obvious reason: survival. To quote Kahneman: “The brains of humans and other animals contain a mechanism that has been designed to prioritize bad news, to increase the probability of living long enough to reproduce.”
We can see how the negativity bias is powerful and entrenched in many situations in everyday life, for example, in the tendency to remember insults and failures more than praise and successes. This triggers a vicious cycle: the more sensitive we are, the more negativity will take over our mind and the attitude towards negativity reinforces the bias. In this PsychologyFor article, we will delve into what is negativity bias<
Negativity bias is a phenomenon in which negative events are more important and require more attention than neutral or positive events. In other words, Negative information tends to have a greater impact than positive information in the judgments of individuals, since it is more salient and distinctive and remains recorded in memory for longer.
Origin of negativity bias
The negativity bias has given us an advantage in evolution. Good things are nice, but bad things can kill. That’s why we pay attention to the bad things and remember them first. This bias, in effect, It is useful to realize potential threats< As a species, we have learned to survive mostly because we have been very good at avoiding danger.
This pessimism starts very early: young children begin to show signs of negativity as early as seven months of age, suggesting that the tendency is innate< As further evidence, researchers are convinced that we tend to recall bad memories more easily than good ones, as some studies have found that people are more likely to remember unhappy times from childhood, even though they would describe that period as generally happy. In this article, we tell you how to overcome childhood trauma.
Elements of negativity bias
Paul Rozin and Edward Royzman have proposed four elements of the negativity bias to explain its manifestation:
negative power: refers to the notion that, although possibly of equal magnitude or emotionality, negative and positive elements or events are not equally salient.
Steeper negative gradients: It appears that negative events are perceived as increasingly negative than positive ones as one approaches, spatially or temporally, the event itself.
Domain of negativity: describes the tendency to combine positive and negative elements or events.
Negative differentiation: The conceptualization of negativity is more elaborate and complex than that of positivity.
Examples of negativity bias
He negativity bias It can also significantly affect the decisions of individuals. Indeed, the tendency to give more weight to negative information than to positive information has also been analyzed in research carried out by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, focused on the decision making< In this regard, the negativity bias may be related to the phenomenon of loss aversion, studied in the "prospect theory" by the two aforementioned authors.
Based on the results of your research, if decisions are made that involve gains or losses, potential costs or losses tend to weigh more heavily in the decision or to be considered more than potential profits. As Taylor demonstrated in Asymmetrical effects of positive and negative events, negative events tend to involve greater mobilization of physiological responses cognitive, emotional and social of the organism than the positive ones.
In this article, you will find more information about how to make difficult decisions in life.
How to combat negativity bias
We all have proof of how active and powerful the negativity bias is if we reflect on how, at the end of a day at work, it comes naturally to us to remember insults more than praise, or negative moments more than positive ones.
However, there is a way to counteract the effects of negativity bias. Daniel Goleman claims that a negative approach is necessary to survive, but you need a positive approach to flourish and prosper< Next, we'll look at how to combat negativity bias:
Focus on the positive aspects of an event: Focusing on the spaces for change at our disposal triggers the reward circuits present in the brain. Reducing the perception of a threat allows us greater cognitive flexibility, as well as a greater ability to consider other perspectives and scenarios. Discover how to always have a positive thought.
Write down all the rewarding moments experienced: whether it’s a compliment, a meeting or a new project. If positive memories are recorded more slowly than negative ones, daily training in good news will make us stronger in the face of problems, because we will not face them only with fear and fear of being crushed, but with the ability to mobilize resources. and solutions.
Use the sandwich technique: First, you proceed with a positive communication about the progress made, then you move on to the bad news, and finally you conclude with a positive statement about all the planned initiatives.
This article is merely informative, at PsychologyFor we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is negativity bias we recommend that you enter our Cognitive Psychology category.
Bibliography
Eyal, N., Li, J. (2020). Come diventare indistraibili
Inside Marketing (2020). Negativity bias
Picozzi, M. (2020). Verbal Warrior. The power of the parole to resolve the conflict
