Mission & Academics Blog
Bad Is Stronger Than Good
When I was Upper School Head, I was privileged to offer food for thought to the students at a weekly assembly. I enjoyed introducing an idea – often from history, literature, or social psychology – as a starting point for reflection and personal growth. One of my favorite assembly talks was “Bad Is Stronger Than Good,” a title I took from a 2001 integrative review (Baumeister et al.) of the same name.
The article synthesized evidence from hundreds of studies across many areas of psychology and identified one of the strongest and best-supported conclusions in social psychology: that negative experiences and messages tend to have a stronger psychological impact than equally intense positive ones. The study examined a wide variety of contexts and interactions. The conclusion, which has been affirmed and extended in many subsequent studies, is that negative messages and events exert a stronger and longer-lasting effect than positive ones. The authors speculate that this heightened sensitivity to negative experience is adaptive: survival favors vigilance against harm over savoring positive impressions. The idea has come to be known as the “negativity bias.”
Students find the notion interesting and can easily identify with the concept. They are assessed almost daily and, like most people, they merely glance over positive comments on an evaluation but are strongly moved by negative ones. Most young people also realize that they fear looking foolish or making a mistake more than they value potential success. They harbor self-doubt and are easily made to feel diminished.
Further, they can relate to the pain that “put-downs” bring, even when they are leavened with upbeat comments or presented as a joke. I explain to them that it is not being overly touchy or sensitive to react to mean comments; it is human nature. I would also note that the researchers suggest it takes at least five positive comments to overcome a single negative one.
My point in sharing this lesson in social psychology was to help students respond to the negativity bias in their lives and relationships. Once we acknowledge the reality of this bias toward the negative in our perceptions, we can begin to overcome the limits it imposes. Here is what I hoped to have students take from the assembly:
- Practicing gratitude was the most important. By intentionally noticing the good things that happen to us every day, we counteract the effects of the negativity bias. The little things – a pleasant greeting, someone holding a door open, a smile, a break of sunshine on a cloudy day – all add up. Yet we tend to take these for granted and let the bad things weigh us down. By noting what we have to be grateful for each hour of each day, we learn to appreciate what a blessing our lives really are.
- I also wanted students to realize how they can be a blessing in others’ lives. If it takes five positives to overcome a negative, each of us can contribute to brightening someone else’s day. Those same simple acts of kindness, attention, and respect for which we are grateful can be shared with others. This is the stuff of leadership and lifts everyone up.
- I also reminded students that the power of bad over good tends to make us unwilling to take risks. I urge them to remember that the anxiety they feel when they hesitate to join a new club, seek out a friend, or take on a challenging school project is likely rooted in the negativity bias.
- Lastly, I always sought to warn students against that negative voice within: the voice that tells us we aren’t good enough, that makes us overly sensitive, and that causes us to obsess over perceived slights. I reminded students that a major source of negativity is social media. Online, we are all vulnerable to belittling comments and unkindness; knowing that these negatives have a disproportionate influence on our self-image (and can distort our sense of inherent worth) teaches us to approach the online world with caution.
Knowing the genuine power of the negativity bias is an important first step in countering its ability to limit us. As adults, we have powerful opportunities to build up children and help them thrive. At Brookfield Academy, we seek to cultivate gratitude and positivity, and we know this is a sound practice.
