Being a cynic might sound wise, but it is anything but. Universal cynicism harms your social relationships and can hurt your physical and mental health.
One of the things that helps you cope with the sad situation in society is realizing that we, human beings, are fundamentally hardwired for negativity.
When you understand this, you can take a step back and try to look at things more objectively: yes, horrendous things are happening in the world, but that is not the full picture, and we are not powerless to make the world a better place.
In brief, negativity bias is our tendency to focus on bad events more than good ones. And this is what helped our ancestors survive.
Negativity bias is actually the reason why someone criticizing you hurts more than the happiness you feel when you get a compliment. One negative experience can derail an otherwise good day.
What’s more, people tend to base many of their decisions on what they would rather not lose, rather than what they stand to gain, Verywell Mind explains.
Negativity bias is the reason why we notice and remember negative experiences much more than positive ones. It is also the reason why traumas affect people for such a long time after the event.
Though unpleasant and inconvenient in the modern world, negativity bias is likely what helped our ancestors survive and thrive. In short, people who were more attuned to potential dangers and threats were more likely to survive and pass on their genes. In other words, your brain focuses on negative events as a way to try to keep you safe. Or, well, safer.
The downside of negativity bias is that it forces many people to be constantly on alert for danger pretty much everywhere: at work, in their community, around the world, in their relationships, etc.
For example, this bias can make you suspicious of other people, including those closest to you. In other words, you expect the worst from other human beings, even if they are kind, caring, and do their best.
“Because it takes more for positive experiences to be remembered, it is important to give extra attention to good things that happen. Where negative things might be quickly transferred and stored in your long-term memory, you need to make more of an effort to get the same effect from happy moments. So when something great happens, take a moment to really focus on it. Replay the moment several times in your memory and focus on the wonderful feelings the memory evokes,” Verywell Mind suggests.
Of course, overcoming what you’re hardwired to do is no easy feat. Negativity bias won’t ever fully go away. Nor will you significantly shift your mindset overnight. It will take weeks and months of effort to consciously remind yourself that the world is more nuanced, not just a dystopian hellscape.
That’s not to say that you should ignore serious problems (they need to be addressed), but if you constantly live with chronic stress, feeling overwhelmed, your mental health will suffer.
If you constantly dwell on dark thoughts, find it tough to be optimistic, and your relationships with your loved ones are suffering, something needs to change.
One thing that you can do is limit negative self-talk and increase the amount of positive self-talk. The idea here is to shift how you view events and experiences, and reframe them in a more positive light.
“This doesn’t mean ignoring potential dangers or wearing rose-colored glasses—it simply means refocusing so that you give fair and equal weight to good events,” Verywell Mind stresses.
