We can discuss sad and difficult stories from the lives of loved ones for a long time, we keep in mind the details of the tragedies that the stars told about in popular shows. And, as a rule, we remember our own mistakes and failures better than moments of success. Why is that? It’s simple: our brain is programmed to respond faster to negative information.
Whether we like it or not, most of us are better at remembering bad things (bad conversations, our own mistakes, traumatic experiences) and retaining them longer. In addition, we:
- we pay more attention to criticism than to praise or neutral statements addressed to us;
- react more strongly to negative stimuli;
- more willing to read bad news and comments on it;
- we react more actively when something bad happens;
- we remember the offense inflicted on us more vividly than gratitude or praise.
This cognitive distortion formed millions of years ago and initially helped us survive. Now the probability of encountering a wild beast is zero, but we are still on our guard.
More bad news, more clicks
Of course, we all would like to learn about something good every day – especially now, when everything is so unstable and shaky. View photos of puppies and children, admire the most beautiful corners of the world. But our brains are programmed to look for bad news, and the media actively use this to increase traffic. That is why the vast majority of the notes and articles that they publish are about something bad, unpleasant, sad, scary and shocking.
From time to time, attempts are made to create media that would only talk about something good, but as a rule, no one reads such media. One news portal published only good news for one day and lost two-thirds of its audience!
Andrew B. Newberg and Mark R. Waldman, authors of Words That Can Change Your Mind, believe that positive and negative words affect our brains differently. The words “love” and “peace,” for example, stimulate areas of the brain responsible for motivation, while negative words increase levels of the stress hormone.
pure curiosity
Most of us tend to analyze information and make judgments. And since the brain, as already mentioned, out of habit supplies us with bad news, they find the most vivid response in us. We’re interested to know what’s going on. We love to draw conclusions about others. We are curious to understand why a person acted this way and not otherwise. All this gives our brain food for thought.
Take the same Cersei Lannister from the Game of Thrones – what motivated her? Is it because she lost her children? Did she truly love anyone but herself? We love heroes, but villains attract us with their unpredictability. And yes, negative headlines work better – marketers and news people know this for sure. The audience needs to be hooked, touched to the quick. But what do we, the readers, do with all the information? Remember this and don’t fall for this trap. And don’t let negativity into your life.