Analysing your IQ
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AKA: "Bad Is Stronger Than Good"
Negative experiences and information weigh more heavily than equally intense positive ones.
Negativity Bias is one of the most common cognitive errors—and one of the hardest to spot in yourself. This page explains what it is, why your brain does it, and how to mitigate it.
Ten compliments can be erased by one criticism, shaping your self-image around the worst moment.
High-stakes domains (medicine, law, finance) have developed entire systems to counteract Negativity Bias. If professionals need safeguards, so do you.
This error is driven by Threat sensitivity evolved for survival; the brain prioritizes danger over reward..
The mechanism is rooted in threat sensitivity evolved for survival; the brain prioritizes danger over reward.. Your brain isn't broken—it's running outdated software in a new environment.
In investing: Negativity Bias leads to holding losing positions too long or selling winners too early.
In relationships: This bias causes people to interpret ambiguous signals in ways that confirm existing beliefs about partners.
In work: Negativity Bias makes it harder to update strategies when market conditions change.
In health: People ignore symptoms that contradict their self-image as "healthy" or "young."
Experiments on Negativity Bias often use controlled conditions that make the bias obvious to observers—yet participants still fall for it. This demonstrates how powerful the effect is.
Deliberately encode positives (write them down, replay them). Treat negative signals as “data,” not identity.
Seek disconfirming evidence: Actively look for data that challenges your current belief.
Use decision journals: Write down predictions before outcomes are known, then review accuracy.
Consult diverse perspectives: People with different backgrounds spot different biases.
Implement decision rules: Pre-commit to criteria before emotionally charged situations arise.
Time-box decisions: Revisit important conclusions after a cooling-off period.
Some brains are more susceptible to this than others. Test your Emotional Health to find out.
Negative experiences and information weigh more heavily than equally intense positive ones.
The alternate name "Bad Is Stronger Than Good" captures the intuitive essence of the bias. Negativity Bias is the formal psychological term, while "Bad Is Stronger Than Good" describes what it feels like in practice.
Deliberately encode positives (write them down, replay them). Treat negative signals as “data,” not identity.
The underlying mechanism is threat sensitivity evolved for survival; the brain prioritizes danger over reward.. Human brains evolved heuristics for speed and survival, not accuracy in modern contexts.
Yes. Intelligence doesn't provide immunity—sometimes it makes the bias worse because smart people are better at rationalizing. Awareness and structured decision processes are more protective than raw IQ.
Ten compliments can be erased by one criticism, shaping your self-image around the worst moment.