As humans we have a natural hyper-sensitivity to the negative. Wikipedia defines this Negativity Bias, in part, in the following citation:
...there are four ways in which humans and animals show to give greater weight to negative entities. These four aspects are negative potency, steeper negative gradients, negativity dominance, and negative differentiation. Negative potency is that negative entities are stronger than the equivalent positive entities. Steeper negative gradient means that the negativity of these negative events grows more rapidly with space or time than positive events. With negativity dominance, "combinations of negative and positive entities yield evaluations that are more negative than the algebraic sum of individual subjective valences would predict.” And finally, negative differentiation is that negative entities are more varied, yield more complex conceptual representations, and engage a wider response range.* (emphasis mine)
To summarize:
- the negative is stronger than the positive
- the negative grows faster than the positive
- the negative will always trump the positive when they are combined
- the negative has a greater range of effects on more things than the positive
This is true in part because negative situations and experiences impact the reactive, limbic part of our brain.The limbic system is thought to support a variety of functions, including emotion, behavior, motivation, and long-term memory. It is the flight, fight, or freeze part of our brain that can protect us from danger. It also appears to be responsible for our emotional life, having a profound impact on the formation of memories.
As a consequence, negative things hit us hard and stay with us for a long, long time. And therefore they can have a huge effect on how we process what happens to us day to day.
Positive things are processed by the cognitive part of our brain, which involves the mental processing that includes the attention of working memory, comprehending and producing language, calculating, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making.
In other words it is the part of the brain responsible for taking the time to think things through! It is where we give attention, contemplate, consider and ruminate on things. And that doesn't happen in an instant or automatically.
So there is an almost immediate impact for negative things, but for positive things to have an impact we need to 'think on these things.' We need to give time to them in careful consideration and reflection.
Good things briefly considered are soon forgotten!
Is it any wonder the Word of God encourages us in this way:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things.' Philippians 4:8
In order for what God says is true about us to have its intended effect, we have to give it continual attention. If we were willing and exercised to think on those things, how might it affect how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we live out of the reality of who God says we are?
With that in mind, what if we made the commitment to review the following list of 'good things' that God says are true about us every day for a month ? (Feel free to add to the list other things you discover on your own!)
I am God’s child (John 1:12)
I am justified (Romans 5:1)
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)
I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)
I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)
I am established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
I am faithful (Ephesians 1:1)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11)
I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)
I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5)
I am given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8)
I am in Him (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30)
I am redeemed (Ephesians 1:8)
I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14)
I am included (Ephesians 1:13)
I am sealed (Ephesians 1:13)
I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18)
I am salt and light of the earth (Matfthew 5:13-14)
I am ordained to bear fruit (John 15:1,5)
I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am God’s coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1)
I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
I am alive in and with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
I am raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6)
I am the recipient of the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7)
I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
I am a member of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)
I am secure (Ephesians 2:20)
I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19)
I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)
I am a sharer in the promise of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6)
I am complete in Him (Ephesians 3:19)
I am a glory to God (Ephesians 3:21)
I am called (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9)
I am to be mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:15)
I am a light to others (Ephesians 5:8-9)
I am strong (Ephesians 6:10)
I am dead to sin (Romans 1:12)
I am not alone (Hebrews 13:5)
I am growing (Colossians 2:7)
I am His disciple (John 13:15)
I am prayed for by Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23)
I am united with other believers (John 17:20-23)
I am not in want (Philippians 4:19)
I am promised eternal life (John 6:47)
I am promised an abundant life (John 10:10)
I am victorious (I John 5:4)
I am chosen and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
I am blameless (I Corinthians 1:8)
I am set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32)
I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)
I am a light in the world (Matthew 5:14)
I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)
I am the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
I am safe (I John 5:18)
I am part of God’s kingdom (Revelation 1:6)
I am healed from sin (I Peter 2:24)
I am no longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2)
I am not helpless (Philippians 4:13)
I am overcoming (I John 4:4)
I am persevering (Philippians 3:14)
I am protected (John 10:28)
I am born again (I Peter 1:23)
I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am delivered (Colossians 1:13)
I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13)
I am qualified to share in His inheritance (Colossians 1:12)
I am victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)
Blessings....
*Rozin, P., & Royzman, E. B. (2001). Negativity bias, negativity dominance, and contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5, 296-320.
Teacher, speaker, entrepreneur and follower of Christ; with a passion to be a catalyst for authentic community.