It’s pleasantly warm and a cool breeze sways the tender new grass shoots. White phlox pops out of rock crevices and Sand Verbena adorns the trail side. The occasional coral of desert globe mallow and pink of sego lily offset the purple sheen of a hillside of scorpion weed. It’s a rainbow-colored wonderland out here and with each step, I hear a satisfying crunch of the trail. I’m enjoying this spring hike. I am in the zone. Ahh…
The trail switches back, and as I come around a blind corner, where I see a long, thin, dark object lying across the path, I immediately come to a halt. With a jolt of adrenaline, my heart is pounding. I study the scene for a moment and then I recognize that the dark object is not a snake – it’s only a stick that looks like a snake!
And then I feel silly. I’ve hiked this trail hundreds of times and I’ve only ever seen exactly one snake out here in all those hikes.
I amble forward, and sheepishly step over the stick that looks like a snake. I wonder why I didn’t suspect a stick in the first place and why the adrenaline rush?
And then I remember the negativity bias.
So, what is the negativity bias?
As human beings we have a propensity to be on the lookout for danger and we continually scan our environment for it. We are programmed for survival. Our brains look for bad news – the negativity bias keeps us out of harm’s way. What if the snake-like stick was a snake? The negativity bias keeps us alive and well.
But for those of us that tend to see “snakes” everywhere, we may not feel so positive about the negativity bias. Those of us that see snakes everywhere, have a trauma load, and our negativity bias is heightened. We are more vigilant – we see danger almost everywhere. With this hypervigilance, we spend extra time and energy thinking about danger and therefore have less time and energy for enjoying life.
Do you have a heightened negativity bias? Does it interfere with living the life you envision? The models of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) help us resolve trauma that is stuck within. EMDR and IFS will reduce trauma symptoms. Reducing trauma symptoms will yield more time and energy for living the life you envision.
If a heightened negativity bias resonates for you, look for a trauma therapist, preferably trained in EMDR or IFS.
Or click here to schedule a session with Red Bike Counseling!
