Why are people naturally inclined toward negativity?
20 Jun 2012, 19:16
Why are people naturally inclined toward the negative?
Have you noticed that it's too easy to become fixated on the negative or become addicted to it and feed off it? Yet one has to work hard to stay positive? Why is that?
Why is human nature and our minds naturally fixated on sliding down into negativity? Why not the other way? Is there a reason for that?
Consider this: If you do 9 good things and 1 bad thing, people will remember the bad thing and forget the good things you did. That's human nature. Also, if someone spreads a negative lie about you, people will be quick to believe it, even without any evidence, as though they were eager to believe the worst about you. Why is that?
And of course, the news media feeds off our negativity. They constantly bombard us with the most negative stories that make us see the world in the most negative way - full of stress, conflict and tragedy - never showing us all the good decent people around us. The media always wants to portray everything in the worst possible light it seems.
Have you noticed that it's too easy to become fixated on the negative or become addicted to it and feed off it? Yet one has to work hard to stay positive? Why is that?
Why is human nature and our minds naturally fixated on sliding down into negativity? Why not the other way? Is there a reason for that?
Consider this: If you do 9 good things and 1 bad thing, people will remember the bad thing and forget the good things you did. That's human nature. Also, if someone spreads a negative lie about you, people will be quick to believe it, even without any evidence, as though they were eager to believe the worst about you. Why is that?
And of course, the news media feeds off our negativity. They constantly bombard us with the most negative stories that make us see the world in the most negative way - full of stress, conflict and tragedy - never showing us all the good decent people around us. The media always wants to portray everything in the worst possible light it seems.
Re: Why are people naturally inclined toward negativity?
20 Jun 2012, 19:47
Am I having a mental meltdown or is this topic repeated? I swear I just answered this two minutes ago.
Re: Why are people naturally inclined toward negativity?
20 Jun 2012, 20:13
Just spitballing here, haven't done any research, but I'd guess that it has much to do with the fact that the negative can hurt us and so we react more strongly to it from a survival standpoint than the positive.
Re: Why are people naturally inclined toward negativity?
21 Jun 2012, 02:55
In a word, "JEALOUSY"
People want to find the weak-point so they can pull others down and be able to literally "look down" at them. It is in most instances, the human ego that is threatened by a person that seems to fail at one thing though they've succeeded and accomplished numerous great things in the same time frame. Look at how people twist things like when certain celebrities die "from drugs" . . . many times it's not drug abuse or addiction that results in their death but the simple fact that they took a sleeping pill or, in the case of Bruce Lee, an aspirin.
We veil our Jealousy under the guise of Patriotism as well as what is technically "Racism" and of course Religious Intolerance and Political Self-Righteousness. Then we have all that paper in our lives such as college degrees and from which University the degree actually came from. . . hell, you might have done two or three years study at one campus and won't get credit at the next because of petty B.S. between the schools and curriculum nuances. Yet, is is still a means by which we belittle one person or group so as to elevate ourselves.
Yes, it is "Human Nature" but philosophically speaking, it is one of the greatest "sins" or transgressions within the make-up of "man". Our challenge, if we are to listen to the old mystics, sages, prophets & gurus, is to overcome that lesser nature and discipline our ego as we would a child; explaining to that child that it can't have everything its way . . . essentially slapping out own hand when it comes to expectation and opinions that are self-aggrandizing and "slanted" . . . which isn't always tied to a single person but groups.
Until the human race as a whole wakes up to this fact and chooses to apply itself towards ridding itself of this animal character, we're screwed! Sadly, in 5,000 + years of teaching and warning regarding this issue, we've yet to catch on.
People want to find the weak-point so they can pull others down and be able to literally "look down" at them. It is in most instances, the human ego that is threatened by a person that seems to fail at one thing though they've succeeded and accomplished numerous great things in the same time frame. Look at how people twist things like when certain celebrities die "from drugs" . . . many times it's not drug abuse or addiction that results in their death but the simple fact that they took a sleeping pill or, in the case of Bruce Lee, an aspirin.
We veil our Jealousy under the guise of Patriotism as well as what is technically "Racism" and of course Religious Intolerance and Political Self-Righteousness. Then we have all that paper in our lives such as college degrees and from which University the degree actually came from. . . hell, you might have done two or three years study at one campus and won't get credit at the next because of petty B.S. between the schools and curriculum nuances. Yet, is is still a means by which we belittle one person or group so as to elevate ourselves.
Yes, it is "Human Nature" but philosophically speaking, it is one of the greatest "sins" or transgressions within the make-up of "man". Our challenge, if we are to listen to the old mystics, sages, prophets & gurus, is to overcome that lesser nature and discipline our ego as we would a child; explaining to that child that it can't have everything its way . . . essentially slapping out own hand when it comes to expectation and opinions that are self-aggrandizing and "slanted" . . . which isn't always tied to a single person but groups.
Until the human race as a whole wakes up to this fact and chooses to apply itself towards ridding itself of this animal character, we're screwed! Sadly, in 5,000 + years of teaching and warning regarding this issue, we've yet to catch on.
Re: Why are people naturally inclined toward negativity?
26 Jul 2012, 03:20
Negativity bias.
Due to what makes me broken, I naturally incline towards what is as well as leaning towards the positive.
It just so happens that within the last four weeks I have noticed nearly all my co-workers (the ones being vocal) are wellsprings of negativity. I have considered tracking their patterns and their seemingly indifference or rejection of my quite non-adversarial responses, which are demonstrability appropriate viewpoints.
Every thing they say and do brings me closer to forming possible tactics to experiment with on such pointless sources that eat away at their wellbeing and surely others they interact with at work and home.
There are many possible reasons and several have already been listed. One that interests me is the mentality that grasps for examples of the "negative," which they use to support their view along the lines of "see, look how the world is fcked up, just like this country, my life...." That is not the best generalizing; if a more concise one comes to mind it will be added.
It appears/feels like some level of depression, wanting to give up, feeling of hopelessness and so on.
Another following how we seem to naturally narrow down our focus to our own locus of concern. Priority is given to this inner circle within society and other social thingies. This inner circle has parameters that place values respective of only what matters within and even places greater value when it ought not or perhaps should not.
Once this is in place, there is a fixation and consequence of getting all pissy and disheveled over
anyways blah blah
Due to what makes me broken, I naturally incline towards what is as well as leaning towards the positive.
It just so happens that within the last four weeks I have noticed nearly all my co-workers (the ones being vocal) are wellsprings of negativity. I have considered tracking their patterns and their seemingly indifference or rejection of my quite non-adversarial responses, which are demonstrability appropriate viewpoints.
Every thing they say and do brings me closer to forming possible tactics to experiment with on such pointless sources that eat away at their wellbeing and surely others they interact with at work and home.
There are many possible reasons and several have already been listed. One that interests me is the mentality that grasps for examples of the "negative," which they use to support their view along the lines of "see, look how the world is fcked up, just like this country, my life...." That is not the best generalizing; if a more concise one comes to mind it will be added.
It appears/feels like some level of depression, wanting to give up, feeling of hopelessness and so on.
Another following how we seem to naturally narrow down our focus to our own locus of concern. Priority is given to this inner circle within society and other social thingies. This inner circle has parameters that place values respective of only what matters within and even places greater value when it ought not or perhaps should not.
Once this is in place, there is a fixation and consequence of getting all pissy and disheveled over
anyways blah blah
Re: Why are people naturally inclined toward negativity?
26 Jul 2012, 03:24
Great post. Welcome!