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= Negativity Bias = The Negativity Bias (also commonly known as the negativity effect) is a concept within human communication that details our brains tendency to be more heavily impacted when experiencing something we consider to be more negative. The working theory surrounding the concept of the negativity bias is that negative messages strongly outweigh positive ones when it comes to their impact on our brain and how we process that information. An individual can potentially experience negativity bias surrounding events such as a performance review from work, when recalling a situation where you feel as though you embarrassed yourself in front of friends, or even after a disagreement with a significant other where you solely focus on their negative traits. Essentially, it aims to describe why positive experiences are not anywhere near as impactful on a person psychologically when compared to the impact something a person would consider or interpret to be more negative that significantly eclipses the positive experience.

= Evidence =

Michael Shermer, in his 2017 article, describes Negativity Bias as a scientific concept that he believes should be more widely known. He points to evolution as the reasoning behind the presence of the theory of Negativity Bias and explains how it is a direct result of a more dangerous would ancestrally. He also details 11 reasons that provide evidence as to the pessimistic attitudes he feels are present across all forms of life as a result of this Negativity Bias.

An article published in January of 2019 by nbcnews.com, written by Wendy Rose Gould details how as humans we are prone to this negative mindset which is a human survival skill. The negative mindset she discusses in her article is the Negativity Bias. In an effort to assist in helping individuals cope with dealing with Negativity Bias, Gould presents 5 tips to remain more positive. The 5 tips are as follows: isolate the event, then come up with a personal mantra, give yourself a break (cut yourself some slack), make an effort to use positive distractions rather than focusing on the negative, and finally, Gould believes that by cataloging your thoughts it will ultimately make the biggest difference in how negativity bias affects you.

Paul Rozin and Edward Royzman are psychologists who in their 2001 study, developed the theory of Negativity Bias which attempts to describe why we, as humans, let the negatives outweigh the positives on a daily basis. Psychologists Paul Rozin and Edward Royzamn developed four elements to explain it. The four elements are: negative potency, steeper negative gradients, negativity dominance, and negative differentiation.

Negative potency refers to the idea that positive and negative events are not equally important or pertinent in our minds.

Steeper negative gradient attempts to describe the idea that when an impending negative experience will have a steeper gradient than an impending positive experience. Although both experiences are both perceived as either more positive or negative as the date approaches, the effects of the impending negative event seem to be far more severe than those of the positive.

Negativity dominance is the idea that when presented with an experience that contains both positive and negative aspects, the negative side tends to override the positive to skew your interpretation to take on that of more a negative nature.

Negative Differentiation is the concept that negative things such as vocabulary are inherently more complex as opposed to positive which would be less elaborate.

A peer reviewed article that is titled Negativity Bias in false memory: moderation by neuroticism after a delay, is written by Catherine Norris, Paula leaf, and Kimberly Fenn. This article begins to describe how individuals with higher cases of neuroticism have shown a higher sense of false remembrance when it comes to negative scenarios as opposed to positive scenarios. This would lead to the discovery of a correlation between negativity bias and mental illness within humans. The tendency for humans to remember traumatic experiences and insults more than positive experiences and praise, as well as our habit of reacting more strongly to negative stimulus, accompanied by the fact that humans tend to dwell on negative things and think about negative situations far more often than those of a positive nature.

Laura L Carstensen and Marguerite DeLiema studies and wrote a research paper on the positivity effect. In contrast to the Negativity bias or, negativity effect, the positivity effect explores the concept of how the negativity bias in youth fades with age. Interestingly enough, their research details how, when compared to younger adults, older adults have a tendency to remember more positive information rather than negative information. They have come to this conclusion based on close to two decades of research and neuroscience evidence that links age-related changes that relate to cognitive processing that is directly related to the change in motivation and behavior that comes with age. As a result, we are left with what is known as the positivity effect.

Ways to cope
To cope with Negativity Bias one must challenge negative self-talk, practice mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, and recall positive moments. Catherine Moore, a psychologist from The University of Melbourne writes in her article about places or situations that Negativity Bias might be more present than others. For example, negativity bias can be very impactful specifically in the workplace when it comes to the opinions we form of others and our ability to make effective decisions. She then details different ways to cope and provides insight into why negativity bias occurs and it's role when it comes to anxiety and other mental illnesses.

Video sources on how to cope with negativity bias:

 * Ted Talk: Hardwiring Happiness. Dr. Rick Hanson
 * Ted Talk: Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck) Alison Ledgerwood

How negativity bias effects men and women differently
Negativity bias displays itself differently on men and women. The two genders register negative comments in very different ways. Because of this, emotions within men and women tend to manifest themselves in different lights, meaning that, according to research from psychologist and happiness researcher, Timothy J. Bono, PhD, it is more likely for women to internalize their emotions which can lead to feelings of sadness or even depression. In contrast, men tend to externalize their emotions. This can lead to instances of outward aggression and anger.

= References = [https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27025 Shermer, M. (2017). 2017 : WHAT SCIENTIFIC TERM OR CONCEPT OUGHT TO BE MORE WIDELY KNOWN? https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27025 .]

[https://www.nbcnews.com/better/pop-culture/we-re-wired-negativity-here-s-how-keep-small-setbacks-ncna957201 Gould, W. R. (2019, January 15). ''We're wired for negativity. Here's how to keep small setbacks from ruining your day.''NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/better/pop-culture/we-re-wired-negativity-here-s-how-keep-small-setbacks-ncna957201 .]

[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29986626/ Norris, C., Leaf, P., & Fenn, K. (2019, June). Negativity bias in false memory: moderation by neuroticism after a delay.]

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6186441/ Carstensen, L. L., & DeLiema, M. (2018, February). The positivity effect: a negativity bias in youth fades with age. Current opinion in behavioral sciences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6186441/.]

[https://positivepsychology.com/3-steps-negativity-bias/ Moore, C. (2020, September 1). What Is The Negativity Bias and How Can it be Overcome?PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/3-steps-negativity-bias/.]

[https://www.psycom.net/negativity-bias#thedifferencebetweenmenandwomen Jaworski, M. (2020, February 19). The Negativity Bias: Why the Bad Stuff Sticks and How to Overcome It. Psycom.net - Mental Health Treatment Resource Since 1996. https://www.psycom.net/negativity-bias.]