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Being Well · March 6, 2023 · 42m
Understanding and Overcoming the Negativity Bias
Rick and Forrest Hanson explain why the brain evolved to prioritize negative experiences over positive ones, and how to counteract this bias using the HEAL framework from Hardwiring Happiness.
Highlights
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The brain is like Velcro for bad experiences and Teflon for good ones — negativity bias is a survival feature, not a bug
Hanson explains that the brain evolved to learn faster from negative experiences (threats, pain, loss) than positive ones (food, safety, connection) because missing a threat was fatal while missing an opportunity was merely inconvenient.•
The HEAL framework: Have, Enrich, Absorb, Link — a systematic method for installing positive experiences into neural structure
Hanson presents his HEAL framework: Have a positive experience, Enrich it by staying with it, Absorb it by intending to take it in, and Link it to negative material to soothe and replace old wounds.