Positives and Negatives

Image courtesy of rakratchada at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Good and Evil. Right and Wrong. Yin and Yang. Positive and Negative. Life is filled with opposites. The general idea is that two completely different ideas come together to offer balance and equality. However, a lot of people would disagree with that point. It seems like there is more negativity than positivity in the world. For instance, right now my spell check recognized the word "negativity", but not "positivity". News stations also constantly report on tragedies, but offer little to no coverage on happy stories. Negativity seems to be the overwhelming majority in society.

Dr. Alison Ledgerwood commented on this phenomenon in a TED talk a few years ago. Alison studies social influence, and how this either gets people stuck in certain situations or helps people move past them. In her TED talk, she talks about how easy it is for us to focus on the negatives. She cites a study where the participants were shown both happy and sad scenarios and had their mood measured. The researchers found that, when the participants were shown a happy scene then a sad one, their mood went from happy to sad as well. However, when they were shown a sad scene then a happy scene, their mood stayed sad.

There is hope, however. We all have the power to focus on positivity, we just choose to ignore it. After focusing on the negatives for a long time, we may get into a negative spiral. If nothing is done about this, the negativity may lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. Robert Spadinger talks about this in his article, "What to do When You are Stuck in a Negative Spiral that Turns your Life Upside Down". He offers suggestions on how to counteract the negative spiral, such as replacing the negative thoughts with more positive ones and recognizing where the negative beliefs come from. Above all else, we need to practice. Force yourself to think at least one positive thought a day, and keep track of them if writing them down helps you. Also, surround yourself with people who will help you think positive thoughts. By recognizing negative thoughts and making a conscious effort at bettering ourselves, we can all lead well-balanced lives with positivity.



For more on the people mentioned in this post:
Alison Ledgerwood- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XFLTDQ4JMk
Robert Spadinger- http://everythingiswithin.com/stuck-negative-spiral-turns-life-upside/