Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Negativity bias

Negativity bias:
What is the negativity bias, what are its impacts, and how can it be overcome?

Multimedia presentation (3 min)

Overview

Figure 1. An individual experiencing negativity bias will fixate on and be more affected by negative stimuli than positive or neutral stimuli.

You have just finished studying a challenging chapter of a book. As you close the pages, you think to yourself, 'This book is really confusing.' Although you enjoyed and understood previous chapters, they are overshadowed as your mind fixates on this one challenging section. You decide to put the book away and conclude, 'I can't do it.'

The negativity bias is a psychological phenomenon and a form of cognitive bias. It explains the systematic tendencies to focus on and be more impacted by negative stimuli than positive or neutral stimuli of similar magnitudes. It can manifest in several ways including negative potency, steeper negative gradients, negativity dominance, negative differentiation, and contagion. Its formation is thought to have evolutionary roots, but research has shown the importance of certain brain regions and cognitive processes. This chapter is for all the pessimists and anyone who finds their mind drifting to negativity at times. It explains why negativity bias occurs, its many impacts on behaviour, mental well-being, and relationships, and how it can be overcome by working towards positivity.

Case study: River River is an Environmental Science student who recently completed an important exam. He felt confident throughout most of the exam, answering questions thoroughly. However, he struggled with the last question about pollution, a topic he had not studied in depth. River left the exam room feeling defeated despite his strong performance on the other questions. His mind is fixated on his poor answer, overshadowing his overall success. He now frequently checks the pending results page, expecting to see a failing grade.

Focus questions: What is negativity bias? What are the impacts of negativity bias? How can negativity bias be overcome?

Introduction to negativity bias

Cognitive bias

Cognitive Biases are systematic psychological tendencies that influence human cognition and behaviour by altering judgement, perception, and decision-making (Korteling et al., 2023).

Negativity bias

The negativity bias is a form of cognitive bias. It is a systematic tendency in which negative stimuli, including experiences, emotions, and information, have greater impact on psychological states and processes than positive or neutral stimuli (Rozin & Royzman, 2001).

Components of negativity bias

Figure 2. A half-filled glass. Do you see the glass as half-full or half-empty? Individuals with a negativity bias often display negativity dominance, in which they interpret ambiguous stimuli negatively.

Research has identified multiple factors in the negativity bias: negative potency, steeper negative gradients, negativity dominance, negative differentiation, and contagion (Rozin & Royzman, 2001). When experiencing negativity bias, one or more of these components may be present.

Negativity dominance  

Provide more detail.

Negative differentiation

Provide more detail.

Negative potency

Provide more detail.

Steeper negative gradients

Provide more detail.

Contagion

Provide more detail.

Conjunction with biases

Explanation including attentional bias and memory bias.

Impacts of negativity bias

Figure 3. Negativity bias can cause mental health issues, social withdrawal and isolation, lower self-esteem, and relationship conflict.

The impacts of the negativity bias can be varied and of different magnitudes.

Causes of negativity bias

Research has suggested potential evolutionary, cognitive, neurological, and developmental explanations for the negativity bias.

Evolutionary adaptation

Evolutionary adaptation plays a crucial role in the negativity bias. Explain further.

Cognitive

Frequency

Cognitive load

Mental health

Catastrophising

Neurological

Brain structures

Physiological arousal

Genetics

Developmental

Explain negativity bias in infants and early experiences.

Review your knowledge! Which brain region is associated with processing and responding to negative stimuli? Hippocampus Amygdala Prefrontal Cortex Cerebellum

Overcoming negativity bias

Figure 4. Positive thinking plays an important role in combatting negativity bias.

The negativity bias serves a useful purpose, but in excess it can become problematic. There are numerous methods which may be successful in combatting the negativity bias.

Interventions

Explain interventions including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy and cognitive reappraisal strategies.

Mindfulness

Explain the benefits of mindfulness practices and gratitude journalling.

Positive stimuli exposure  

Explain the benefits of seeking out and engaging in positive experiences.

Social support

Explain the importance of strong social relationships.

Case study: River River seeks advice from a friend who has been in a similar situation. They discuss his worries and she shares her insights, reassuring him that many students likely found the question challenging. She points out the hard work he has put into his studies, reminding him that this effort will be reflected in the results. River feels comforted by her words, and the new perspective puts him at ease. When he checks the pending results page again, he feels calmer and more confident about his performance.

Conclusion

• Summarise the negativity bias and its components.

• Summarise its impacts.

• Summarise potential causes of the negativity bias including emotional processing, cognitive, evolutionary adaptation, neurological, developmental.

• Summarise methods to overcome the negativity bias.

• Take-home messages.

See also

• Attentional bias (Wikipedia)
• Cognitive bias (Wikipedia)
• Impact bias (Book chapter, 2024)
• Guided meditation and emotion regulation (Book chapter, 2024)

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External links

• Your brain is wired for negative thoughts. Here’s how to change it. (YouTube)
• Why is the news always so depressing? (thedecisionlab.com)