HOW TO BALANCE YOUR BRAIN'S NEGATIVITY BIAS
- Derek Hagen
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
❝The same view you look at every day, the same life, can become something brand new by focusing on its gifts rather than the negative aspects.❞ -Bronnie Ware
Your brain was built to spot danger. Gratitude helps it remember the good.
THE PULL OF THE NEGATIVE
You’ve probably noticed how one bad moment can ruin an otherwise good day.
You might get ten compliments and one bit of criticism, and guess which one you replay in your mind later?
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That’s not weakness. It’s wiring.
We all come preloaded with what psychologists call negativity bias, a tendency to focus on what’s wrong rather than what’s right. It’s why even small frustrations can feel big and why contentment sometimes takes effort.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND NEGATIVITY BIAS
Negativity bias kept our ancestors alive.
Thousands of years ago, paying attention to threats meant survival. Missing a danger could end your story early. So our brains learned to overreact, to treat uncertainty as danger, to protect at all costs.
That same wiring is still running today. But instead of saber-toothed tigers, it locks onto things like money worries, social comparisons, and “what if” thoughts.
As neuroscientist Rick Hanson puts it, the brain is Velcro for negative experiences. They stick immediately. And it's like Teflon for positive experience. They bounce right off.
That’s why even good moments often fade so quickly. Unless we intentionally hold onto them, our brains let them go.
GRATITUDE: TRAINING YOUR BRAIN TO NOTICE WHAT'S WORKING
The good news is that you can train your brain to see more than what’s wrong.
Gratitude is the simplest way to do that. It doesn’t require a journal or a ritual, just a few seconds of deliberate attention.
It's a way to zoom out.
At first, it might feel unnatural. That’s because you’re rewiring habits that have been there for millennia. But even small efforts count.
Try this: once a day, pause and name something that went well—something you’d normally overlook. It could be a small act of kindness, a warm meal, or the moment you caught yourself reacting more calmly than usual.
Gratitude doesn’t erase the hard stuff. It just balances the scale.
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A grateful person exhibits certain traits. Rather than feeling deprived in life, a grateful person experiences a sense of abundance. A grateful person acknowledges the contributions of others to his/her success and well-being, appreciates life's simple pleasures, and acknowledges the importance of experiencing and expressing gratitude. |
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SELF-AFFIRMATION: REMEMBERING WHAT'S TRUE ABOUT YOU
Negativity bias doesn’t only make us see problems around us. It can make us question ourselves.
That’s why self-affirmations matter. They’re not empty pep talks; they’re reminders of what’s already true.
When you catch yourself thinking, “I can’t handle this,” pause and balance it with something equally true: “I’ve handled hard things before.”
Affirmations work best when they highlight effort and growth, not perfection. Try statements like:
“I’m learning to slow down before reacting.”
“I’m making progress, even if it’s small.”
“I’m more resilient than I realize.”
They help you remember that you’re already moving in the right direction, even if your brain occasionally forgets.
A SHIFT IN FOCUS
You can’t turn off negativity bias completely, and you wouldn’t want to. It’s part of what keeps you safe and aware.
But you can teach your brain to see the fuller picture—to balance what’s wrong with what’s right, and what’s missing with what’s already here.
Gratitude helps you notice the good.
Affirmation helps you remember your strength.
And together, they help you live the same life you have now, only with a clearer view of how much is already working.
You get one life; live intentionally.
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REFERENCES AND INFLUENCES
Ben-Shahar, Tal: Choose the Life You Want
Burkeman, Oliver: The Antidote
Emmons, Robert: THANKS!
Emmons, Robert: Gratitude Works!
Gilbert, Daniel: Stumbling on Happiness
Glasgow, Joshua: The Solace
Haidt, Jonathan: The Happiness Hypothesis
Hanson, Rick: Hardwiring Happiness
Manson, Mark: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck
