Your Brain Is Wired for Bad News. That’s Not Your Fault - But It Is Your Responsibility

England and Wales have just recorded a near 50-year low in homicides.

Let that land for a second. (No, seriously. Your brain will try to move on.)

Despite this, many people report feeling less safe than they did decades ago. This isn’t because we’re ignorant or dramatic. It’s because our brains are exceptionally good at spotting danger, and not nearly as good at registering when things are going right. Negative information is processed faster and more deeply by the brain than positive information (Ito et al., 1998). Fear grabs attention. Hope politely waits its turn.

Media systems (traditional and social) respond accordingly:

• threat travels faster

• outrage spreads further

• worst-case framing keeps us engaged

Why one negative moment can undo an entire day

Here’s the stat that usually causes a small internal meltdown.

Research on relationships and teams shows that it takes five positive interactions to neutralise the impact of one negative interaction with the same person (Gottman, 1994; Fredrickson & Losada, 2005).

Not to thrive. Just to feel emotionally steady and have mental capacity again.

Which explains why:

• one critical comment replays at night

• one awkward meeting outweighs five good ones

• praise is nice, but apparently not as interesting as perceived threat

Your brain is not fair.

It is vigilant.

The bit most leaders underestimate

Attention is not neutral. What you repeatedly focus on shapes your nervous system, your emotional baseline and how safe or unsafe the world feels

Positive moments don’t lodge in memory automatically. Research shows they need deliberate attention and a little time — around 10–20 seconds — to consolidate (Hanson, 2013).

So when you rush past the good, your brain deletes it like an unread email.

Seeking the good isn’t naïve optimism. It’s evidence-based self-regulation.

A very practical rule of thumb

If one negative wipes out four positives, then positivity needs a plan.

Try this:

• Notice competence, not just mistakes

• Say the kind thing out loud (yes, even when it feels obvious)

• Linger on positive moments for a few extra seconds

• Balance what you consume: urgency and perspective

This isn’t toxic positivity. It’s psychological maintenance. Like sleep. Or stretching. Or not replying to emails while irritated (we’re all learning).

This week, don't forget to S.M.I.L.E. Seek Merriment in Life Everyday.

As a start, I’ll share my favourite three online places that surface the good so you don’t have to fight your biology and the algorithms at the same time.

1. Set https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ as your homepage

2. Subscribe to fixthenews.substack.com for stories of progress and positive news in your inbox

3. Follow @goodnewssource to counter the negative stories on your social feed

One last thought

Your brain will always scan for danger first.

That’s survival.

But what you return your attention to again and again is a choice.

And in a world that profits from fear, choosing to seek the good isn’t soft.

It’s positive self-leadership.

_____

References

• Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology.

• Rozin, P., & Royzman, E. B. (2001). Negativity bias, negativity dominance, and contagion. Personality and Social Psychology Review.

• Gottman, J. M. (1994). Why marriages succeed or fail.

• Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the dynamics of human flourishing. American Psychologist.

• Ito, T. A., Larsen, J. T., Smith, N. K., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1998). Negative information weighs more heavily on the brain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

• Hanson, R. (2013). Hardwiring happiness.