You try not to be negative, but here’s a news flash: the human brain is built for negativity! It’s a survival skill.
Rick Hanson, Ph.D, who wrote Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom, says our brains are designed to scan for danger. When we see something to worry about, the negative information makes a big impression and we’re more likely to be affected by it, because that’s going to help us stay alive. Positive information, on the other hand, isn’t so sticky.
Blue sky, big deal. Saber-toothed cat? BIG deal.
To make matters worse, our fast-paced, information overload-culture increases the amount of scanning our brains do. So we’re constantly gathering more and more negative data.
And we’re stressing the hell out!
On the one hand, it’s kind of cool to think that my brain has a good reason for focusing on the negative. (And here I thought it was just me.) I appreciate the evolutionary necessity of this tendency.
But now that we understand why it’s happening, we can perceive some of our anxiety as an unreliable narrator wringing her hands. Just because the murder rate went up in Texas last year doesn’t mean I have more reason to fear.
Tell your inner worrier to chill.
Kindle readers can email me at Lmspreen@yahoo.com.
Betsy
/ September 16, 2011Thank you Lynne – perfect timing. After a very negative morning – nothing my husband did was right, all my worries about money, the house, my children, work coming right to the surface, I’ve taken a deep breath, decided to do some gardening and then go out to lunch. My inner worrier/stresser has chilled!
Grace
/ September 16, 2011Interesting…that explains a lot! Aren’t we interesting creatures?
Lynne Spreen
/ September 16, 2011Grace and Betsy, I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. Yes, Grace, we are!
Jean
/ September 16, 2011Hi Lynne. Thank you for the birthday wish! I don’t see the warnings as negative or positive, simply survival skills. It is our fascination with the past and the future that complicates things—attaching ‘what if’ to a thought . That’s as philosophical as I get this early in the a.m.
marla miller
/ September 16, 2011you’re so funny—ok..”INNER WARRIOR, CHILL THE F@#! OUT!”
let’s see if she does—i’ll keep u posted….:)
Linda Robinson
/ September 16, 2011Negativity is catchy, like a virus or that boring song you can’t get out of your head. The good news is our brains are evolving. Fright/flight is becoming tend/befriend. Now I’m going to stress about whether I’m evolving fast enough.
Kathleen Pooler
/ September 16, 2011Very interesting information.Love the message here,Lynne-”tell inner worrier to chill”
It seems to me we are about as positive or negative as we make up our minds to be. Thanks for another thought provoking post!
Pat
/ September 16, 2011Great news for me, Lynne. This is so reassuring. I thought I was going nuts absorbing all the worries of the world zapping from one global catastrophe to another like my brain was a remote control. Chill it is!
Lynne Spreen
/ September 17, 2011Pat, me, too! Now I know it’s a survival skill. Like Marla says, we can chill the #$%^& out!
notquiteold
/ September 18, 2011Great post! Sometimes I look back at the things I have worried about. What a waste of worrying. I’d have been better off worrying about a saber-toothed tiger.
Lynne Spreen
/ September 19, 2011NQO: Exactly! Thanks for the chuckle.
Debbie
/ September 19, 2011No wonder we’re tired at the end of the day, with all that stressing and worrying! And no wonder some people have such a hard time being positive because there are so many more negatives in our world! Thanks for letting us know. Still, I think that’s why we have to do whatever we can to find inner peace and calm — for our own sanity!
Ann alka WorkingBoomer
/ October 5, 2011Every time I see the word negativity, I stop and read. The world has so much negative. We all need to be a part of getting the positive on. Thank you for sharing.