1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Here's a three-minute, quick tip where we break down a mental health or personal development topic in 180 seconds to help you shift or reframe your perspective. Today’s topic explores what is sometimes called the negativity bias and how to challenge it.&amp;nbsp; This is the idea that as humans we are hardwired to look for the negative or for potential threats in order to survive.&amp;nbsp; Another aspect of the negativity bias is the idea that we tend to remember or pay more attention to negative experiences than positive ones.&amp;nbsp;For example, we might remember and fixate on the one negative comment we receive on something we did compared to possibly the hundreds of positive comments we received.&amp;nbsp; As you can imagine, this type of thinking, while it might be trying to protect us, can have not so great side effects, like lowering our mood, increasing feelings of worry or stress, and it can even affect our outlook or perspective on things. One step or strategy to try and overcome or challenge this tendency is to intentionally focus on the positive, or what is also going well in a situation. This isn’t a suggestion to ignore the negative of what’s going on but rather to try and look at the mixture of what is happening–both the good and bad.&amp;nbsp; There’s research that suggests a 3:1 positivity ratio can help us maintain a sense of wellbeing. In other words, for every negative emotional experience we’re focused on, it can take focusing on and appreciating three positive emotional experiences to move our minds from a state of survival into a state of thriving. So if you find yourself ruminating or fixating on something negative, you can try looking for at least three positive things that are also happening in order to help balance out the negative thoughts and emotions. Research cited: Positivityratio.com *** Want to reach out, be a guest or have a question? Contact&amp;nbsp;email@achangeinstory.com. *Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is for the sole purpose of being informative and is not considered complete. It should not replace consultation with a qualified professional. A Change in Story https://sites.libsyn.com/519668 <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/40546145/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/40546145