We are wired to think negatively
Summary
- We are wired to give a heavier bias to negative thoughts
Details
- It takes effort to be objective and focus on the positive.
- We can work deliberately to focus on positive things e.g
- thankful prayer
- thankfulness journalling
- positive interactions with people
- curiousity
- be present rather than focusing on the past
- research shows that our interactions with others result in happiness.
References
Quotes
One thing to keep in mind is that our brains are not wired to think optimistically. Instead, they’re wired with a negativity bias. Anything that’s bad is going to be stronger and more attention-getting than something good.
We’ve likely all had the experience of getting feedback that was maybe 95 percent positive, but we end up focusing on that 5 percent that’s negative. We’re more likely to stay up at night worrying, rather than finding ourselves unable to sleep because of all the things we’re grateful for. For this reason, we have to actively put the positive into our lives, actively leveraging that 40 percent through happiness-building activities like fostering positive interactions with people and focusing on what’s right with us instead of what’s wrong, because our brains are not naturally going to do this.
Luckily, there are many, many ways we can increase our life satisfaction! This is where the pathways of the PERMA-V model come in:
• Positivity: Building our experience of positive emotions through pleasure, gratitude, curiosity, and the right mindset.
• Engagement: Being present and fully experiencing our lives through mindfulness and flow experiences.
• Relationships: If any of these pathways is more important than the others, it’s this one. In study after study, research shows that what the happiest people have in common is that they have strong, authentic, high-quality relationships. Positive psychology can be summed up in three words: Other people matter! We’re wired for connection; we need people that we care about and that care about us. We need community.
Here are some practical next steps you can do to work toward continued happiness. You can:
• Keep a gratitude journal.
• Perform random acts of kindness.
• Increase flow experiences.
• Set a goal and work toward achieving it.
• Meditate.
• Engage in physical activities.
• Shorten your commute.
• Spend more time in nature.
• Deepen your relationships.
• Get involved with a cause you care about.
Variety is key!
Related
- Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product - Eleanor Roosevelt
- Positive feedback works better than criticism
- Focus on Positive
- Letting something negative go out of our lives leaves space for something positive
- Use every interaction to find out how people think
- Showing people that they are appreciated
- Build real friendships