Negativity bias is a psychological phenomenon where humans tend to give more attention, weight, or significance to negative experiences, emotions, or information compared to positive or neutral ones. This bias is thought to have evolutionary roots, as being more sensitive to potential threats or negative stimuli could have enhanced survival. Here are some examples:
News Consumption: People are more likely to focus on negative news stories, such as disasters or conflicts, rather than positive ones.
Feedback: In a performance review, a person might fixate on one piece of critical feedback and overlook numerous positive comments.
Social Interactions: A negative interaction with someone can overshadow many positive interactions with the same person.
Memory: Negative experiences often leave a stronger and more lasting impression than positive experience.
Negative bias might have the following negative implications:
Decision-Making: Negativity bias can lead to overly cautious or risk-averse behavior.
Relationships: It might cause people to overemphasize conflicts or challenges in their relationships.
Mental Health: Persistent focus on negative events or emotions can contribute to stress, anxiety, or depression.
Negativity bias can be mitigated throuh praticing mindfullness and reframing perspectives, i.e. challenge negative thoughts by looking for positive aspects in a situation