Bad is Stronger than Good

That's Why You Need to Supervise your Animal Brain

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”

-Isaac Asimov,

Have you ever wondered why so many investors missed the market rally since last October? More importantly, why do so many people who say they are looking to build a better world, automatically gravitate to the worst possible interpretation of new facts and information?

Fact is “bearish” news and thesis attract your brain FAR MORE so than the “bullish” ones.

To be brutally honest, bad news “feels” better than good, and triggers more dopamine every time you hit “like” on negative or bad news. Have you ever heard the term “If it bleeds, it leads"?

Well, Roy F. Baumeister, a professor of social psychology at Florida State University, captured the idea in the title of a journal article he co-authored in 2001, "Bad Is Stronger Than Good," which appeared in The Review of General Psychology.

In that article, he explained that