The Negative Impact of Media Transurfing
Article Summary
Today we discuss the negative impact of the media and what Reality Transurfing says about this. Kathie discusses our natural negativity bias and how we might combat that negativity bias in a healthy way.
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Today’s Quote:
The negative impact of the mass media on the human psyche requires the individual to be very consciously aware. Do not let negative information affect you. Everywhere you look someone is trying to seduce you, capture your attention, or force something on you. Any group of people has its pendulum. When adherents carry out the pendulum’s will they are often unaware of its true goals so you should always ask yourself the question: Who needs this and why? Do I need it?
-Vadim Zeland Reality Transurfing I-V
Negativity Bias
The negativity bias is a cognitive bias that results in adverse events having a more significant impact on our psychological state than positive events.
The negative bias is our tendency not only to register negative stimuli more readily but also to dwell on these events.
The following exerpt is from PositivePsychology
Where does Negativity Bias Come From?
Negativity bias is thought to be an adaptive evolutionary function (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1999; Vaish et al., 2008; Norman et al., 2011). Thousands of years ago, our ancestors were exposed to immediate environmental threats that we no longer need to worry about – predators, for example – and being more attentive to these negative stimuli played a useful role in survival.
These days, the bias may play a role in our early development. As Vaish et al. (2008, p. 18) point out, infants don’t have extensive life experience to draw on: “the earlier an organism learns that it should avoid those stimuli that its conspecifics find aversive, the better are its chances for survival.”
Negativity bias helps them avoid potentially harmful stimuli in the absence of learned information about ambiguous stimuli.
It’s hard to argue that a negative bias isn’t still helpful in some circumstances, but as we grow and society develops, this hardwired tendency is not as useful as it once was.
News coverage is predominantly negative
Around the world, negative news articles appear to dominate the media, but why are they so prevalent? One hypothesis is that due to negativity bias, negative coverage is more attention-grabbing than positive coverage. This is a logical inference from the study results we just described (and many more), but is it actually the case? It is a studied fact, humans are more aroused by and attentive to negative news on average.
How to Overcome the Bias
I am in the process of completing my book, The Truth Bubbles Up. This book is all about how I overcame the negativity bias of my circumstances and turned them around. We must stay disciplined in order to overcome the negativity bias.
Vadim even says, “the negative impact of the mass media on the human psyche requires the individual to be very consciously aware. Do not let negative information affect you. Everywhere you look someone is trying to seduce you, capture your attention, or force something on you.”
It is going to take discipline to become aware. Discipline is about a choice. Just like I discussed in turning those breakdowns into breakthroughs last week we have a choice to interpret a situation. We also have a choice as to what we let into our consciousness.
Consider for a moment who you follow on social media, or how you spend your free time if you do not do social media. How constructive is that? What state does that put you in?
You chose to follow those whom you follow or the habits you participate in your free time. How are they contributing to your life. Often times these create a negative impact and that pendulum swings high!
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Challenge Your Self-Talk
Have you ever considered your thought habits around this negativity bias? We think over 70,000 thoughts a day. And science has proven that 90% of those thoughts are the same thoughts we thought yesterday.
It’s no wonder we get caught in a negativity bias.
Start checking in with yourself throughout the day, you can start to recognize any thoughts that are running through your mind – both helpful and unhelpful ones. You can also look at your own behaviors too, for a better understanding of what’s serving you and what isn’t.
From here, you can start to tackle these head-on, challenging them and replacing them with more useful ones.
What were you thinking before experiencing anger, resentment, or frustration? Was it negativity bias in action, perhaps? And how can you replace those thoughts with more positive ones? Become aware!
What pendulums do you give your energy to?
I created a download that helps you identify the pendulums in your life both destructive and constructive pendulums. Sign up today and join us!
Savor Positive Moments
When you stop and take some time to drink in a positive experience, you’re savoring it and creating memories for the future. Building up your store of positive mental images and feelings can help you address the imbalance that negativity bias predisposes us to.
The next time you experience or create a positive moment, take a little longer than you usually would to enjoy it. Engage fully in the good sensations, happy thoughts, and pleasant emotions that you feel, and make a note of what you enjoyed about it. When you go home, why not reflect on what just happened and turn the savoring skill into a habit?
Conclusion
Negative pendulums are everywhere. They are constantly vying for our attention. Become aware. Find discipline. Ask yourself the questions Who needs this information and why? Do I need it? As Vadim says:
When adherents carry out the pendulum’s will they are often unaware of its true goals so you should always ask yourself the question: Who needs this and why? Do I need it?
Thank you for spending part of your day with us. We hope you found this article helpful. If you know someone who can benefit from this information feel free to share it with them using the simple share buttons to the side.
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