#wegotmail: Why we need to distance ourselves from negative people (Part 1)

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OUR lives today are inundated with negative vibes. From the moment we wake up and reach for our smartphones or switch on the TV or radio, we are bombarded with bad news — killings, corruption updates, crime, drugs, and the ongoing political chaos. Even celebrity scandals like breakups and cheating add to the grim reality of modern media. It's as if bad news has become the norm, and it sets a heavy tone for our day.

Reflecting on this, I’m reminded of my time at a local news station, where I was often assigned to cover the "police beat." I despised it. The constant focus on crime and negativity felt overwhelming. But, I also realized something: negativity sells. People are drawn to stories that highlight problems — especially when it’s about the state of the nation or laced with sensationalism, as seen in tabloids.

This brings to mind the concept of the negativity bias, a phenomenon studied by psychologists. Research from Marbella International University Center in Spain reveals that we are evolutionarily wired to give more weight to negative experiences than positive ones. Our brains are hardwired to react more strongly to bad news, which is why we tend to dwell on the negative and overlook the good. Neuropsychologists call this the Brain’s Negativity Bias.

Historically, this bias was essential for our survival. Our ancestors needed to be alert to dangers in their environment — whether it was a predator or a natural disaster. Being constantly vigilant helped them stay alive. Over time, this response became deeply ingrained in our brains, influencing how we process information even today.

John Cacioppo, PhD, from the University of Chicago, conducted a study where participants were shown images that evoked positive, negative, and neutral emotions. The brain's reaction to negative images was much stronger, indicating that we’re more attuned to bad news. In fact, a region in our brain called the amygdala, which governs emotions and motivation, is wired to detect negativity more quickly and store it into long-term memory. To be continued

-  George Evan B. Cuadrillero

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