Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis
It appears that we have a "negativity bias" which is understood to be related to survival.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-09004-002
"Abstract
Hypothesizes that there is a general bias, based on both innate predispositions and experience, in animals and humans, to give greater weight to negative. This is manifested in 4 ways: (a) negative potency (negative entities are stronger than the equivalent positive entities), (b) steeper negative gradients (the negativity of negative events grows more rapidly with approach to them in space or time than does the positivity of positive events, (c) negativity dominance (combinations of negative and positive entities yield evaluations that are more negative than the algebraic sum of individual subjective valences would predict), and (d) negative differentiation."
So, if we see a piece of rope and mistake it for a snake, we give it a wide berth.
If we see a snake and mistake it for a piece of rope, it might bite us.
Therefore, erring on the side of caution might mean that we get to live another day.
Dennis
EDIT:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/a...-negative-bias |
Thank you Dennis for taking the time to present that most interesting paper and I must say it is clear that negativity seems to be a simple primative response left over from the days where our ancestors were trying to assimilate the invention of rope into their world but in modern times with a predominance of rope and rope like things, computer cables extention leads and the like, confusion between a snake and rope would now suggest that one needs to take a trip to the optometrist and obtain better glasses.
AND so I encourage folk to cast out negativity with the realisation that is a now un necessary indulgence from times past much like a fear of the dark which of course to us is now seen as ludicrous.
alex