Negativity Bias

Humans have a tendency to think negatively, not positively. As Laura Vanderkam writes, "Negativity bias is a well-known phenomenon in psychology. Adults spend more time looking at negative images than positive ones; they pay more attention to negative information when making decisions than positive information."

One way to interrupt that negativity is to simply be mindful of its absence. When there’s no immediate threat to your happiness, pause, reflect, and think, “This is a good moment.” It’s a double win: Not only are you not unhappy, but now you’re happy about it, too. Waiting to be happy limits our brain’s potential for success, whereas cultivating positive brains makes us more motivated, efficient, resilient, creative, and productive, which drives performance upward.

Remember the French philosopher, René Descartes's words: "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.