The negativity bias kept our ancestors alive — but it's hurting you

Humans give roughly twice the psychological weight to negative events compared with equivalent positive ones — a phenomenon confirmed by psychologists Roy Baumeister and colleagues in their 2001 paper 'Bad is Stronger than Good'. This negativity bias is an evolutionary artefact: for our ancestors, ignoring a potential threat was far more costly than ignoring a potential reward. In modern life, the same bias amplifies perceived slights, makes setbacks disproportionately memorable, and drives the design of social media algorithms that prioritise outrage for engagement.

Source: Baumeister et al., Review of General Psychology (2001)