{"id":1140,"date":"2018-09-05T00:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T00:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhanderson.biz\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2019-01-03T00:31:48","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T00:31:48","slug":"how-positivity-fights-cognitive-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jhanderson.biz\/index.php\/2018\/09\/05\/how-positivity-fights-cognitive-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"How positivity fights cognitive bias"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/em>You can fight back against cognitive bias! One of the easiest and most effective lines of attack is to compensate for your built-in tendency to focus on the negatives.<\/p>\n

Rick Hanson\u2019s book Hardwiring Happiness<\/a><\/em> details a practice he calls \u201ctaking in the good\u201d. It\u2019s the choice to allow yourself to see the positive dimensions of any circumstance. We are drawn to seeing the problems (remember, our ancestors\u2019 ability to see problems enabled them to preserve themselves, and ultimately allowed us to make our way into the world too). \u201cTaking in the good\u201d means consciously and deliberately focusing your attention on what is positive, expansive, and fortunate in your environment.<\/p>\n

As you start to take in the good, some behavior changes might ensue. It might mean regularly complimenting your co-workers when they do a good job. It might mean giving five pieces of positive feedback for every one negative. (Also known as the Losada Ratio<\/a>, this has been shown to correlate to high business performance.) But the first and most important step is to take in the good yourself: when you experience something positive, take the time to really soak it in. It\u2019s the perfect antidote for negativity bias.<\/p>\n

Try It:<\/em> Use Rick Hanson\u2019s HEAL methodology for truly savoring something good when it happens:<\/p>\n