Summary
Our brains are wired to focus more on negative events and experiences, leading to a negativity bias that affects decision-making. This bias can be seen as early as infancy, with conservatives exhibiting a stronger bias than liberals. To counteract this tendency, practicing mental exercises like reframing and positive self-talk, as well as engaging in gratitude practices, can help promote a more positive outlook and emotional well-being. Therapy can also aid in emotional regulation and improving one's life, with BetterHelp offering a convenient platform to connect with therapists.
Negativity Bias
Our brains are hardwired to pay more attention to negative events, learn more from negative experiences, and make decisions based on negative information.
Bias Emergence in Infancy
Bias starts to emerge as early as infancy, with studies showing signs of evaluations of others in infants as young as 3 months old.
Impact on Political Ideology
Conservatives tend to have a stronger negativity bias than liberals, and negative news is more likely to grab attention and be seen with greater validity.
Effect on Financial Decisions
People tend to give more weight to negative feelings than positive ones, which can impact financial decisions where losing $20 feels worse than gaining it.
Coping Strategies
Practicing daily mental exercises like reframing, positive self-talk, and engaging in activities such as going for a walk or reading a book can help counter the negative bias and promote a more positive outlook.
Importance of Gratitude
Maintaining an attitude of gratitude can help shift focus from negativity to positivity and improve emotional well-being.
Therapy and Emotional Regulation
Therapy can aid in emotional regulation, identifying blind spots, and finding the right therapist who can offer valuable advice to improve one's life.
Sponsor: BetterHelp
BetterHelp makes starting therapy easier by providing access to a variety of therapists, allowing individuals to switch therapists if needed, and offering a 10% discount through betterhelp.com/aana.
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