Negativity Bias: Why We Fixate on the Bad—and How to Overcome It

You’re out on a walk. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and a pleasant, hazy view is on the horizon. Until, wait a second—is that a piece of trash? It’s a speck of ick amidst a vista of pleasantness, all you’d have to do to ignore it is shift your gaze up a bit. But you likely actually can’t help but focus on that piece of trash for a biological reason called the “negativity bias.” It’s the same reason we’ll tend to gripe about a frustrating encounter with a colleague when asked how our day was (when the day was otherwise fine) and why we tend to remember combative posts on social media.

Negativity bias exists for evolutionary reasons and is hard-wired into our brain chemistry. But understanding why these thought patterns exist doesn’t mean we have to let them rule our minds—especially if we find they’re not doing us any favors. Here’s how you can understand your negativity bias, determine whether it’s disproportionately impacting your view of the world, and put practices in place to overcome it.

What is negativity bias?

Humans are predisposed to react more strongly to “negative stimuli” than to focus on positive stimuli, explains Stephanie Harrison, a former University of Pennsylvania instructor in the psychology of happiness, and the author of New Happy. Negative stimuli can be anything from a political attack ad to a bit of constructive criticism. Those stimuli attract our attention and cause us to ruminate more than positive messaging or a pile of compliments.

“It’s not as if you only pay attention to the negative,” says psychologist and author Adi Jaffe, PhD. “But we are often biased towards paying more attention to what isn’t looking right, what is stressful, what is anxiety-producing, or what is scary, than we pay attention to the good things.”

Why do we have a negativity bias?

Granted, it serves an evolutionary purpose. Our ancestors who zeroed in on the predator lurking in their natural environments probably had a better chance of living a long life than those satisfied taking in the view. “It’s more important for us to be able to notice threats to our physical well-being and safety, or even things that we perceive as such, because that’s what helps us to stay alive,” says Harrison.

Here’s how our response to negative stimuli compares to positive stimuli in our brains, according to Jaffe. Attuning to something pleasurable releases dopamine, while registering a “threat” releases the stress response neurotransmitter and hormone norepinephrine. While a dopamine release can feel good, our body responds more dramatically to norepinephrine. It triggers the sympathetic nervous system, AKA our fight-or-flight response.

Unfortunately, the stressful things we face today aren’t necessarily existential threats. But our attention still gives more weight to things going wrong than things going right.

How can negativity bias affect our well-being?

Studies have shown that negativity bias can negatively impact our self-esteem, our ability to learn and take risks, and more. Letting our negativity bias run amok can impact our day-to-day lives.

For example, getting sucked into Nextdoor posts about crime plaguing the neighborhood “can color our view of human nature,” Harrison says. This can affect our relationships by having an ungenerous, jaded perspective about how people relate to each other. It can also make us fearful about our environment and even prevent us from leaving the house. In more extreme cases, this can lead to isolation and loneliness.

Even trying to cope with negativity spirals can take a toll on our health.

“A lot of us will do pretty unhealthy things to overcome the impact of the negativity bias,” Jaffe says, giving examples of drinking, drugs, or bingeing on social media. “That is not adaptive, not helping us. And so one of the biggest reasons to [counter negativity bias] is to allow us to better control these other behaviors that are unhealthy for us.”

How to overcome negativity bias

Since this bias is hardwired in our brains, countering it takes effort. However, doing so consistently over a matter of weeks and months pays off with real change.

“It’s not that different from going to the gym,” Jaffe says. “You can train your brain.”

1. Identify underlying fears—out loud

If you’re caught in a doom spiral, getting introspective about what exactly is holding your attention can help break the cycle. So, if you can’t stop watching local disaster news, ask yourself: are you afraid for yourself or for your friends of the same thing happening to you?

“It’s helpful to acknowledge the underlying fear, need, or challenge that’s coming up for you,” Harrison says. “Even just saying that out loud, ‘I feel as though I’m not safe’ or ‘I’m not experiencing the level of comfort that I would want,’ can be really helpful as a starting point.”

2. Do a social media audit

Are there accounts of people you follow who are constantly drawing you in with bad news or pessimistic views? Consider whether you need to keep getting updates and information from them. You can also try to find accounts that proactively share things that bring you joy. Puppies and babies, here you come!

3. Focus on positivity

When negative thoughts take over, consciously prompt yourself to notice things going well at that very moment to counterbalance your unconscious tuning in for things going wrong. Harrison suggests asking yourself, “Right now, what is going right?” Then you can list things, small and large, like the weather, a yummy lunch, a nice text from a friend, or anything else that brings you comfort or joy. Noticing these moments of goodness can also be called “savoring” or looking for glimmers.

4. Start a gratitude practice

Jaffe is a big believer in the power of a gratitude journal. “Our daily experience is heavily influenced by our habits,” Jaffe says. So he says making gratitude something we practice for just a few minutes every day can have a ripple effect beyond the actual act of gratitude journaling. “It creates a positivity bias to counter your innate negativity bias,” Jaffe says.

Once per day (or twice, if you’re feeling ambitious), write down three things you’re grateful for. While repetition is expected, Jaffe says to try to find three different things every day. That means don’t just focus on the big things. Health and family are great, but what about how comfortable your favorite pair of slippers is?

5. Talk back to negative self-talk

Negativity bias often means we’re turning those gloomy glasses on ourselves. Practice affirmations to tell yourself a different story, says Jaffe.

6. Change your environment

When your mood is cloudy, getting into a different physical space can help you get into a different headspace. Moving your body can help send energy to your brain and get some good neurotransmitters flowing.

7. Look for the helpers—and become one yourself

The best way to find evidence of the positive is to acknowledge the people actively doing good in the world. What’s more, if you commit to helping others—maybe providing a meal for a friend, calling an elderly relative, or picking up some trash on the beach or in nature—you’ll help others to see the good, too.

“Then I know that I’m doing my part to also be the evidence for somebody else that there are good people out there,” Harrison says.

How to know if you need help overcoming a negativity bias

If you find you are engaging in compulsive behaviors that harm your health, you may want to assess whether a negativity bias could be at the root of the behavior.

Figuring that out might take some effort though. Take stock: Are you seeing your loved ones? Are negative moods persisting for a long time? You can also ask yourself three questions to see if negativity bias is coloring your view and, therefore, your mental health.

1. 1.
   Do you feel hopeful about your future?
2. 2.
   Do you feel that people can be trusted?
3. 3.
   Do you have positive experiences in your daily life?

If you answer no to these questions, “you might not be grounded in the full truth,” says Harrison. “[Negativity bias] magnifies all of the negative experiences, and sometimes that can make them so much bigger and more pervasive.”

The good news? The magnification of all the bad you’re noticing might be just that: a distortion of reality. Once you learn to open your eyes without activating your caveman brain tendencies, the world might just look a little rosier.