If you’ve noticed how most mainstream media outlets seem to focus more on the doom and gloom, that’s because it’s by design. As psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Rick Hanson explains, it’s a byproduct of the nervous system’s evolution over the last 600 million years, where our ancestors had to be vigilant about their surroundings.
“They had to avoid two kinds of mistakes: (1) thinking that there’s a tiger in the bushes but actually all is well or (2) thinking that all is well while actually there is a tiger about to pounce,” Dr. Hanson wrote.
Dr. Hanson says this hypervigilance against potential threats wired ancient humans into overestimating threats while downplaying opportunities and resources. This mindset has been carried over into modern-day humans, who tend to gravitate toward bad news and overlook the positive aspects of things. Experts refer to this as negative bias.
It’s no secret that consuming positive news and other types of content online uplifts the spirit. However, according to positive psychology researcher Jodie Jackson, it can also help restore your faith in humanity.
“News stories that focused on solutions were shown to boost a person’s belief in their ability to make a difference,” Jackson explained.
But of course, it would be impossible to completely eradicate the negative content pieces, especially since they’re the ones that bring in the clicks and views. This is why Jackson believes in these two worlds co-existing rather than competing.
As she stated, “We need to notice achievements alongside failings in order to understand the world more accurately.”
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