Mindfulness, Negativity Bias and Wellness Change — Part Two
Part one of this blog looked at negativity bias, our built-in tendency to accentuate the negative and de-emphasize the positive.
This evolutionary relic is kryptonite to wellness change (badly needed, given the national obesity rate of 35% in 2014 among other things), creating built-in resistance of which you might not be aware. This post summarizes how mindfulness can mitigate negativity bias impacts. But first, some key points on it from the first post:
- Fear helped keep our ancestors alive. Perceived threats make a bigger mental imprint than do positive opportunities.
- Negativity bias creates inertia for wellness change by crippling healthy decision-making with a fear-based foundation.
- It’s a “low-level” cognitive activity that can happen quickly and powerfully influence choices and behavior.
- It’s built into our animal brain. No escaping it, but mindfulness can tame it (see below).