Negativity as a Default Setting can Block an Optimistic Outlook

Based in New York, Joshua Dietz has an extensive background as a counselor and therapist, and has provided clients with tangible steps for changing behavior and overcoming life obstacles. In one in-depth blog article, Joshua Dietz provides “Three reasons to be an optimist.”

Noting that optimism often gets dismissed outright, the author explains that human psychology has a heavy negativity bias. This has to do with the survival instinct, whereby it pays to predict, and move out of the way of, potential dangers. However, this also constrains our thoughts and actions. With negativity a default setting, coming across an optimist, one may be convinced that something is wrong with the other person.

One reason for negativity as a default, even when embracing positivity would be more productive, centers on the relative ease of perpetuating a given behavior, even when it isn’t working. This is known by economists as “escalation of commitment,” and by cognitive scientists as the “sunk cost fallacy.” Clinging stubbornly to pessimism and other negative traits, people often give dislike of change as a primary reason for failing to get out of a mental rut. They perceive it as being easier to simply continue the status quo than to look inward and potentially come face to face with failings and traumatic experiences that caused negativity to arise.