Nudging the negativity needle

We human beings are prone to an inbuilt negativity bias. Some more than others, and some on days more than others. A 2010 article published by the University of California, Berkeley quotes psychologist Rick Hanson: “The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.”

To ensure that we don’t slip too much into this negative mindset, having a gratitude attitude can be really useful. In fact, I find it helpful to imagine a dial and see when the needle is currently pointing too much towards the negative aspects of life. The antidote is spotting throughout the day things to be grateful for – not great things necessarily, but little joys that might present themselves. The taste of that first cuppa in the morning or an upbeat email from a friend can just keep us on the right side of things and stop us from tipping into too much negativity.

Why not give it a go – take in the joy for at least 10 – 20 seconds, notice how it makes you feel, savour the moments allowing the brain to turn them into new neural pathways.