Don't Fear The Lion : Overcoming Negativity Bias

The sunset had no impact on their survival while the lion did. Thus, our brains developed to pay attention to negative things over the positive ones. This is when we the negativity bias happens.

Negative events or possibilities have a greater impact on our psychological well-being and feelings than those things of a neutral or positive state. a number of Studies have been performed, each one confirming that our brains will misinterpret information in a way where
it sees more threats or issues than are actually really there.

So widespread were these findings that they became known as the blue dot effect. In prehistoric times these biases towards safety and away from anything that could possibly be dangerous helped humans survive.

In today's society though, where the true threats are few and far between. This negative mindset hurts our happiness, productivity, and outlook on life. the good news is that both positivity and negativity are habits. With time and effort you can train your mind to focus on the good.

if you constantly focus on the negative in a given situation that is what your brain will default to, and it will be easy to focus on the bad, likewise if you force yourself to focus on the good in a situation then over time that is what your brain will default to and pay attention to.

To help you with this i have four techniques that will train your mind to overcome the negativity bias if practiced over time.

First develop self-awareness

The first step towards fighting the negativity bias is by keeping tabs on your mental state throughout the day. Pay attention to your mind, make sure you have a clear vision both good and bad. Why you have them ?, or what caused them?.

You can use the ABC method developed by Albert Ellis for this. When you become aware of a behaviour which is the “B” or a consequence representing the “C” then you can work backwards to find what caused them. “A” for action or incident, this allows you to examine the thoughts that led to the behavior or the consequence. How Could You frame those thoughts in a more positive way.

Next mindfulness

Mindfulness is something I recommend and for a lot of different reasons but it comes up here as well. Things like meditation, thought exercises, and journaling all have been proven to have positive effects on the mental models that you form and execute on a daily basis.

Third mental restructuring

One of the best ways to fight back against negativity is to change the way you look at events. At one point during his life, Thomas Edison had his workshop burned down as he watched his life's work go up in smoke. Crazy colors and explosions coming from the chemicals and objects. In his workshop, Edison told his son go get your mother and all her friends they'll never see a fire like this again.

He could have been distraught, he could have bemoaned his fate and said, “why me?.” Instead he enjoyed the show and even commented that he'd just gotten rid of a lot of rubbish. Most events in your life will have both a good and a bad component to them. The trick is to make sure that you view them through the positive lens rather than the negative one.

lastly Focusing the positive moments

Maybe you are out on a hike with a friend and experienced the perfect sunrise, or taste a cup of coffee that is brewed amazingly well. Maybe you get to visit a city that you've always dreamed of seeing.

During these moments where you find yourself truly blissful make sure to slow down and fully take them in. Later that day or when you get home, take a moment to relive these moments this can be a powerful reminder of the good that has happened to you, and the joys your life has brought to you.

The negativity bias is a biological function that has long outlived the majority of its usefulness. Instead of keeping us alive, for many of us it just leads to depression anxiety or negative thoughts and feelings. Learn to look for, and enjoy the positive events and factors can be a powerful step towards living a happy life.

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