The Psychology of People

The Negativity Bias: Why One Insult Outweighs a Hundred Compliments

13:00 by The Observer
negativity biascognitive biasevolutionary psychologyemotional regulationrelationshipsnews consumptionmental healthbrain sciencesocial psychologyself-improvement

Show Notes

You receive ten compliments and one criticism. Which do you remember at 3 AM? The negativity bias—our tendency to weight negative experiences more heavily than positive ones—is one of the most robust findings in psychology. This episode explores why our brains evolved this asymmetry, how it manifests in modern life from social media to relationships, and what we can do once we recognize it operating.

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