Fighting Negativity

How positivity can win the battle against negativity in our brain, our work and society as a whole. 

Our society is permeated with negativism: the media publish mainly bad news, the education system focuses on avoiding fail grades and and employees are corrected when they make mistakes. The result is an epidemic of burn-outs, depression, intolerance and narcissism. This has major consequences for our society. It creates political turmoil and reduces solidarity, creativity and well-being, even though we are living in the safest and most prosperous period in human history.

How did we get into this Negativity Mania? The cause can be found in the limitations of human thought. People have a natural brain alarm that is prone to short-term thinking and groupthink and has a sensitive antenna for danger. Historically, this was important for survival, but in modern times it’s becoming more and more of an obstacle. Especially now that technology is racing ahead and the consequences of our flawed reasoning are becoming even greater.

Fortunately, recent insights gained from brain sciences and psychological research provide indicators for turning the tide. Innovative movements within the fields of journalism, education and business are pointing the way to new, more constructive forms of co-existence. Something we can all contribute to.