What is Negativity Bias?
Negativity Bias a type a cognitive bias, is asymmetry that occurs when we process negative and positive information to make sense of our environments.
What effect does Negativity Bias generally have on us?
Humans tend to:
- Remember traumatic experiences better over positive ones.
-Recall insults over praise.
-Think about negative thoughts over positive ones.
-React to negative stimuli more intensely.
What are the brief origins of Negativity Bias?
Negativity Bias is caused by our tendency to look for danger in our environment; this was a defense mechanism we developed throughout our evolution. Thousands of years ago our survival depended on being able to identify dangerous situations like hunting prey and threats, such as predators. Although our environments are safer, and we don't run from predators anymore, we still have the thoughts for self-preservation.
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How does Negativity Bias look in Children and Youth Development.
A research study conducted by J. Kiley Hamlin, a Psychology Professor from Yale University in 2013, revealed that infants as young as three months old display a negativity bias in their social evaluations. The study suggests that infants tend to pay more attention to positive facial expressions and tone of voice, although this preference shifts around the age of one.
Brain studies indicate that babies begin experiencing stronger brain responses to negative stimuli. These studies also suggest that the brain's negative bias emerges in the latter half of children's early stages of life. |
Everyday areas where we usually feel the results of Negativity Bias is relationships, decision-making and social awareness.