Researchers point to our evolution, but it could be conditioning from a life time of negativity-focused news.
The Pirahã tribe in the Amazon do not worry about the future and are considered one of the happiest people on Earth, but we have constant doom and gloom in the news to worry about.
Why? Because our fight-flight-freeze responds to it, making us anxious, and this keeps us coming back for more.
But worry makes us feel powerless, causing a cognitive distortion that affects our ability to think objectively and resolve problems.
We react instead with emotional reasoning, believing our worries indicate objective reality.
Neuroplasticity shows we can undo this negativity bias by focusing on a positive frame:
Positivity gives us mental, physical and social resources that help us think and act optimally.
Constructive, solutions-focused news leaves us inspired, optimistic, and more able to meet opposing views.