In this short TED Talk, Alison Ledgerwood shares her research around the social observation of “Why does a failure stick in my head so much longer than a success?” How can you turn a negative mindset into a positive one?
The results show a tendency to have a view of the world that is biased to the negative. From an evolutionary point of view this makes sense. Have a negative experience and you tend to be more cautious to avoid the same result next time. Therefore, you tend to be looking out for the negatives. But once in that negative mindset, it’s very easy to become stuck in that state.
Research also shows that it is much harder to change from a negative view to a positive one, than from a positive view to a negative one.
What does it mean?
In short, it’s that we need to work harder to see the upside of things. We need to train ourselves to be more positive and dig ourselves out of a negative mindset.
A couple of examples provided in this talk to help you are:
- A gratitude journal – writing down the things to be grateful for, or good experiences etc.
- Rehearse good news and share – we often share bad news more than we share good news. Be in the habit of sharing the good things. And ask others to share their good news stories. This can help them become unstuck and help them achieve a positive mindset.
Watch the full 10-minute TED Talk to see the research and thoughts direct from Alison.
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