negativity bias

How and why to cultivate gratitude

"It's not happiness that brings us gratitude. It's gratitude that beings us happiness." Why Practice Gratitude? Gratitude is good for…

July 28, 2022

Dodging sticks and chasing carrots

Scientists believe that your brain has a built-in “negativity bias.” In other words, as we evolved over millions of years,…

January 29, 2016

The impact of experiences

Children express what they feel and what they want through their actions, emotions, signals, and, by their second birthday, words.…

October 14, 2014

Why we love to worry, and what to do about it

Janet, a woman in one of my mindfulness classes, was feeling nervous. She was afraid of speaking up in class.…

October 2, 2013

There’s more right with you than wrong with you (Day 66)

In Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, "As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than…

June 17, 2013

Seek out the good news

“Tell the truth.” It’s the foundation of science, ethics, and relationships. But we have a brain that evolved to tell…

August 20, 2012

Tone down the negative, enhance the positive

Painful experiences range from subtle discomfort to extreme anguish – and there is a place for them. Sorrow can open…

July 10, 2012

Don’t be intimidated

On a blog at the Huffington Post, I used the example of Stephen Colbert’s satirical “March to Keep Fear Alive”…

July 3, 2012

How to feel gratitude

Our minds have an inherent tendency toward finding fault. In psychology, this is called negativity bias. As psychologist and regular…

November 21, 2011