Understanding Negativity Bias
Negativity bias refers to the idea that we are more affected by or pay more attention to negative experiences than positive ones. In other words, we tend to remember the bad things more often and more strongly than we remember the good. It also refers to the human tendency of being more likely to characterize a day as bad overall if something negative happens, even if something equally positive also happens.
Negativity bias explains why trauma can be long-lasting, while happy moments may quickly fade into distant memories. It can be why a bad first impression can be hard to overcome, yet a good first impression can be fragile and easy to ruin. It’s also why mudslinging is often a favored approach in political campaigns rather than putting someone’s positive traits on display.
Evidence for negativity bias
John Cacioppo, Director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, conducted numerous studies involving negativity bias. In one study, he showed the subjects pictures that would make them happy (like a new car or a pizza), pictures that would make them sad or scared (like a dead animal or beaten face), and pictures of things that don’t typically evoke any feelings at all (like blow dryers or dishes). He recorded electrical activity in the brain after each one and found that it was highest in response to negative stimuli. His inference is that our moods and attitudes are more affected by sad, angering, or terrifying news than they are by good news. It’s one example from a significant body of research that supports the human bias toward negativity.
Where does negativity bias come from?
In personality and social psychology, positive-negative asymmetry has emerged as a key concept in how people respond to different stimuli. This phenomenon, also known as negativity dominance or negativity bias, explains the tendency for people to be more affected by negative information than positive or neutral stimuli. Studies in behavioral and brain sciences have shown that negative aspects of an event or experience often affect our emotions, decisions, and behavior more than positive ones.
Researchers attribute negativity bias to the steeper negative gradients linked to negative stimuli, which can trigger a stronger emotional response, such as fear or disgust. This heightened sensitivity to negative differentiation is believed to have evolutionary roots, as our ancestors needed to quickly react to threats in order to survive.
In his book Buddha’s Brain, neuroscientist and psychologist Rick Hanson details the origins of the negativity bias. He describes how our ancestors were able to survive by subconsciously avoiding things that could be dangerous, like sticks, and allowing themselves to be drawn to stimuli that could aid them in survival, like carrots. Over time, they learned that it was more important to avoid a stick that might be flying at their heads than it was to stay put and pick the carrots they were after. The result was a tendency to pay more attention to negativity because of the dangers that may be associated with it.
In this context, negative potency helped influence the development of early human behavior, and this tendency has persisted over time. The influence of negativity bias can also be observed in various domains, including political ideology and social psychology. For instance, negative images and negative comments often garner more attention and elicit stronger reactions than their positive counterparts.
Not all emotions are created equal
When it comes to event-related brain potentials, research has indicated that not all emotions are created equal, with negative stimuli often triggering a more intense and rapid neural response than positive stimuli. Despite the strong influence of negativity bias, humans also exhibit a positivity bias, which drives us to seek out and remember positive experiences.
The tendency to consider positive stimuli as beneficial can be traced back to the prospect theory, which suggests that people are more apt to take risks when faced with potential losses than when faced with potential gains. Researchers in behavioral and brain sciences are continuing to study the interplay between positive and negative influences to better understand emotional processes.
Overcoming negativity bias
Negativity bias is part of how we’re wired—so can it be changed? The answer is yes, with some caveats. It’s likely that it can never be completely taken out; however, with time, effort, practice, and patience, you may be able to adjust this tendency. The book written by Rick Hanson and referenced above contains a three-step plan that may help you relieve the stress that can come from always focusing on the negative parts of life. The steps are:
- Look For The Good. Becoming aware of and acknowledging the positive events in our lives—even when they exist alongside the negative events—is the first step in this process. Also, pay attention to any resistance you feel as you make this shift to increase awareness.
- Savor The Good. Next, practice taking 20–30 seconds to breathe deeply and enjoy when a positive experience occurs, giving your brain a chance to solidify the good memory. Over time, this practice may help it be more attracted to positive stimuli.
- Visualize Positive Neural Connections. Finally, it may help to create a mental image of the positive neurons in our brains firing and fusing together as we focus on positive emotions and experiences.
Other research has found that practicing mindfulness increases positive judgments and can help reduce negativity bias over time. Another study suggests that negativity bias simply becomes less powerful or apparent with age. There are several different approaches you can take to alter negative thinking patterns. Commitment over time to whichever practice(s) you choose is generally key.
Remember, eliminating negativity bias altogether generally isn’t possible, so holding yourself to this standard won’t be helpful. It’s usually better to exist somewhere in between the two extremes: not beating yourself up for focusing on the negative sometimes, but not giving up and wallowing in it too much either. It’s also important to remember that toxic positivity isn’t the goal, which involves unrealistically repressing or ignoring valid feelings altogether. It’s perfectly normal to feel hurt, upset, or affected in some other way by a negative experience. The practice of overcoming negativity bias invites us to not let negative emotions take over and to remind ourselves of the positive that exists around us, too.
Negativity bias and depression
While negativity bias is part of how humans are wired, people with depression may have an even harder time recognizing the positive or preventing the negative from clouding their entire outlook. One study found that people with depression can identify sad facial expressions more accurately than those who do not have depression, which is one of several that point to the idea that negativity bias may be stronger in those experiencing this mental health condition. However, other research has found that this effect is temporary and can decrease when other symptoms of depression do. It’s just one reason that seeking the appropriate treatment for a mental health condition like depression can be impactful and important.
Seeking help in reducing negativity
Some negativity bias is natural, but a focus on negative emotions that becomes constant, overwhelming, or all-consuming can be difficult to deal with. Seeking the guidance of a trained therapist can help you find a balance between positive and negative emotions. If a strong focus on negativity is due to a mental health condition like anxiety or depression, a therapist may be able to help you develop strategies to overcome negativity bias and manage symptoms. They can also assist you in reframing negative outcomes to foster more positive feelings.
Since it’s now possible to connect with a therapist from home, more people are choosing to seek treatment via online therapy. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a trained therapist who you can meet with via phone call, video call, and/or chat. Research suggests that this format offers similar benefits to in-person sessions, so it’s one option for those who prefer it for availability or comfort reasons.
Takeaway
What is an example of negativity bias?
Negativity bias occurs when an individual tends to not only register negative stimuli more willingly, but to dwell on negative events more readily than positive outcomes. An example of negativity bias is when you have a group of kind, loving friends, and you fixate on a memory of an embarrassing thing you said one time, even though your friend group has almost certainly forgotten about it.
What causes negativity bias?
Negativity bias is most often attributed to human evolution. To stay safe, the human brain developed a tendency to see danger and focus their attention on negative things. These tendencies helped humans to survive, and therefore were then passed down to subsequent generations.
What is negativity bias in social media?
Social media has created an innovative way to disseminate and consume information, but it has also played into and increased the hold of negativity bias on the public. Algorithms, advertisers, and influencers lean into fear-based or anger-inducing stories to drive engagement. People are more likely to click on negative news, because often we have an innate drive toward the negative.
Feeding into the anger, sadness, and controversy can make lots of money for advertisers and corporations, while exposing users to more and more emotionally charged content. In turn, this inundation of attention-grabbing stories can have a negative impact on mental health. Social media users can tend to think that the positive aspects of life are exaggerated and that most people and events are gloomy.
What does positive and negative bias mean?
Biases are an inclination, tendency, or prejudice against events, situations, or people. The human brain does not like uncertainty, and so it will attempt to categorize things in a way that aligns with preconceived notions.
A positive bias interprets the situation or person as positive, no matter what details exist to the contrary. Any combination of information both positive or negative is sifted into an overall positive.
A negative bias does the opposite. Whatever the details say, the brain will interpret a situation or person as inherently negative.
Both forms of bias are unhelpful, as they can be limiting. Negative bias is more common, however. Researchers studying event-related brain potentials find that negative stimuli elicit a greater brain response than positive ones. A psychological bulletin published in 2013 determined that this type of negativity bias plays a role in social-emotional development and play a role in helping children avoid harmful stimuli.
What is an example of negativity bias in the workplace?
An example of negativity bias in the workplace would be if your workplace is generally a supportive, fulfilling, and fun place, but one coworker can be annoying. When someone asks about your work, you tend to say something like, “It’s lousy, I have this really annoying coworker.” Your focus is entirely on the one negative aspect of work, rather than all of the positive aspects.
How can we avoid negativity bias?
Some ways we can help avoid negativity bias include learning to identify and fight the natural tendency toward negative thinking and learning to reframe situations using positive information. This doesn’t mean that you have to pretend that things are great when they’re not, rather, it means trying to give fair weight to both positive and negative events connected with a situation.
You can also learn to focus on and savor positive moments in your life. An awareness of the positive often reduces negativity bias by shifting patterns of thinking.
How does negativity affect people?
Negativity dominance describes the human tendency to gather both positive and negative aspects of events, and skew toward a more overall negative interpretation than the summation would warrant. This negativity bias manifests as an overall negative outlook, and can impact self-esteem and awareness in unhealthy ways. A social psychology review published in 2001 found that human beings tend to look for negativity everywhere, and categorize positive stimuli as the exception rather than the rule.
Motivation psychological research suggests that we are more motivated by negativity. A person is often more likely to work toward a goal to avoid losing something, rather than to gain something.
Why is it important to overcome biases?
Biases are limiting. Overcoming biases can help you to see the world more clearly, and to interpret facts and stimuli that the brain receives in a way that aligns more closely to truth.
In terms of a negative bias specifically, this tendency can hurt relationships with loved ones, can negatively impact your ability to perceive others, and generally lead to a gloomy outlook in life. By overcoming a negative bias, you can establish more positive patterns of thought and behavior.
How can the media influence self-esteem and self-awareness negatively?
The mechanisms of media today are heavily influenced by social media and the 24 hour news cycle. Advertisers pay to get eyeballs on their ads, which run with stories and content presented. Because negative stories get the most attention and traction, news organizations and platforms large and small tend to focus on running stories that create negative emotions like fear and anger.
When individuals are continually exposed to these sorts of stories, they tend to process negative feelings in a way that can increase negative self-talk, and promote a negative worldview. Further, evidence shows that people tend to categorize bad news as “more truthful”.
What are the positive and negative effects of social media on youth?
Social media offers both positive and negative outcomes. On the positive end, social media can help to promote altruistic and positive behaviors. Charities and nonprofits can gain more leverage through social media accounts, and news can spread more quickly. Young people can be more politically active and informed through social media.
On the negative side, growing up with social media can also lead to poor social emotional development. Online bullying allows for cruel behavior without “real world” consequences or repercussions.
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