In this thought-provoking episode, we explore the concept of negativity bias and why negative news captivates us more than positivity. Discover the psychological reasons behind our attraction to bad news and the implications it has on our daily lives. Join us in challenging this bias and embracing positivity. Let's uncover the hidden gems of positivity in a world obsessed with negativity.
Stay tuned, stay compassionate and always be kind to yourself. Until next time, keep spreading the sunshine!
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[00:00:03] Hello Sunshine and how are you?
[00:00:06] We all know that we feel so good after we've read a heartwarming story.
[00:00:11] We all know we feel good when we hear something positive.
[00:00:15] But yet, why is positivity so difficult to sell?
[00:00:20] The good news about anything negative, be it news or a clipping or a video or a message, is that it sells.
[00:00:28] In other words, people's interest in anything negative or scandalous is much more intense than it is with simple positive news.
[00:00:37] They care very little about what happens around them.
[00:00:43] If we look around us, we'll see plenty of evidence for this.
[00:00:47] And it's a sad truth, isn't it?
[00:00:49] Fear, lies, negative news generate a lot more interest.
[00:00:55] Simple truth, it sells.
[00:00:57] I was reading this article online the other day about something called the negativity bias.
[00:01:03] It's a term psychologists have given it.
[00:01:06] And it's our collective hunger to hear and remember bad news.
[00:01:13] And the theory goes that although we've evolved and we've evolved really quickly,
[00:01:18] we tend to react more quickly to potential threats.
[00:01:23] Bad news could be a signal that we need to change what we are doing to avoid danger.
[00:01:28] And as you'd expect from this theory, there's some evidence that people respond quicker to negative words.
[00:01:35] Now it so happened that there was an experiment conducted in a lab so that the psychologists could prove this.
[00:01:42] The participants were flashed words like cancer, bomb and war.
[00:01:46] And they were also then shown words like baby, smile, fun, love.
[00:01:53] And everyone responded quicker to the negative words.
[00:02:01] The psychologists also realized that the participants recognized negative words faster than positive words.
[00:02:08] In fact, they were able to tell if the word was unpleasant even before they knew what the word actually was.
[00:02:14] And this is the truth, isn't it?
[00:02:17] Even today we have a large number of people who will write off books on positivity,
[00:02:22] who will write off articles,
[00:02:24] who will write off blogs or podcasts that they know are positive and they'll make them feel good.
[00:02:29] And they write it off as fluff or gyan.
[00:02:34] Because they think that something like this is not possible in today's world.
[00:02:39] Leading a simple, honest, positive life for people has become something that they just cannot comprehend anymore.
[00:02:48] They term it as naive and foolish and frankly ignorant in the ways of the world.
[00:02:55] Is it that we've come to associate negative as complex?
[00:03:00] And maybe because it's complex it has to be deep and may have a hundred different interpretations.
[00:03:08] Is that why we collectively have started looking up to negative behavior?
[00:03:13] Almost as if you're worshipping it.
[00:03:16] The truth is positivity and being positive is simple.
[00:03:20] There are no complex layers.
[00:03:24] So many of us, I'm sure, know of people who say they come back home
[00:03:27] and they like to chill with maybe a gory murder story or they love to watch horror.
[00:03:33] And it makes me wonder, why is it that we find pain and negativity mysterious?
[00:03:41] We're constantly sometimes unknowingly seeking out the negative ideas
[00:03:45] and we constantly keep entertaining them.
[00:03:48] Glorifying the concept of negativity.
[00:03:51] You know, Jodi Pickole said,
[00:03:53] Extraordinary things are always hiding in places.
[00:03:56] People never think to look.
[00:03:58] And truly, it's up to each one of us to celebrate these little moments
[00:04:03] and truly believe that we can be the change that we want to see.
[00:04:08] Here's to each one of us having a great week ahead of us.
[00:04:12] Stay positive, stay loving, stay kind.
[00:04:15] And we'll speak to you again next week.
[00:04:17] Bye for now.