It is no secret that positive thinking can be a challenging task to implement into one’s life, especially when battling against modern-day influences, such as news networks and social media. It seems as if there is always negativity surrounding media outlets.
The news contains what psychologists call “negativity bias,” which is the human condition to more actively hear and remember bad news instead of good news. Researchers Marc Trussler and Stuart Soroka dissected the human tendency to lean toward the negative in a research project conducted at McGill University.
As reported by BBC, “We pay attention to bad news, because on the whole, we think the world is rosier than it actually is,” the scientists concluded. “When it comes to our own lives, most of us believe we’re better than the average, and that, like the clichés, we expect things to be all right in the end. This pleasant view of the world makes bad news all the more surprising and salient.”
Trussler and Soroka’s research highlights the positive outlook of the general population that is hindered by the negativity of news outlets. Similarly, social media has the ability to increase negative effects on the mind.
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