Why is it easier to think the negative first, than the positive?

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   blessedpposted 11 years ago

   Why is it easier to think the negative first, than the positive?
   
   Why can't it be the other way around?

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   c mark walkerposted 11 years ago

   I can't answer that question for anyone Else's sake but personally more is going wrong for me than right at this point in my life. I "wish" for positive results in any situation but have come to expect the worst and since I expect the worst I lean towards the negative.
   For instance I wish Adsense would accept my account on Hubpages so I could have a chance to make a dime but they have turned me down every time.
   I would advise anyone who can get an education to advance their lot in life to do so immediately and do not study trivial pursuits such as visual arts or music but a viable career path. Science,medicine,technology any subject major that's not a pipe dream. I studied art in the 70's but now that style is out of style and I'm fading fast. My American dream has become an American nightmare.

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      @c mark walker you have shared your thoughts and I thank you kindly.

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   liesl5858posted 11 years ago

   Well, I suppose it depends on how the mind works. Sometimes though, if we always think negative  and never see the positive sides of people or things then that can be a bad thing. But if we think that there are people out there who got bad life or worse life than we have then, that makes us feel better and maybe make us think more in a positive way.There are a lot of people out there who have bad luck but they try and move on to better themselves. I try and see the positive sides of people than the negative because we all make mistakes.

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks @liesl5858 for your comment good to know you are among the many that see the positive rather than the negative. Our mind we have to control by feeding it positive and healthy information.

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   IDONOposted 11 years ago

   Because negative thinking is safe. With thinking negative, there is little or no risk of failure. Negative expectations are easy to fulfill. Positive thinking can be a risk. Even if your expectations are not met, the results can still be positive. However, if we fall short of those, we still tend to look as those things as failures or second best, if you will. It's OK to make a plan and think positive about it. But planning the results of that plan can be a big mistake. By doing that, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment.
        Negative thinking is just an "out" for those who choose to give up too soon.

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      Billie Kelpinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      In the present climate, negative thinking is not safe, in my mind.  It's actually quite brave.

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hear you loud and clear IDONO, thank you for your comment.

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   whaturmissingposted 11 years ago

   It can be the other way around, it's how you decide to train your brain.  Practice looking at the glass as half full instead of half empty.  Be willing to be the positive person instead of the cynic.   It is worth it but takes work!  Try to surround yourself with people who are positive, their energy will be contagious.

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      @whaturmissing, true words.  It comes back to us the individual and what we feed our mind.  Thank you for your comment.

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   stanwshuraposted 11 years ago

   I think this has primal/instinctive origins.  We tend to focus on problems with an eye toward solving them and therefore bettering our condition.  Taken to an unhealthy extreme, worry and negative thinking may take over, but the impetus is a self defensive, even species preservationist purpose behind the glass half empty outlook.

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      Billie Kelpinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree, Stanwshura.   For me, looking at all aspects including the negative is a brave, analytical thing to do. To turn away from the problems of the world is to create more.  We judge too harshly those who are not afraid to see truth.

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   Tusitala Tomposted 11 years ago

   It can be the other way round.  It is just that our society seems to encourage a focus on negativity.   We're might be in a beautiful park, with wonderful autumn leaves, flowers, trimmed hedges, rockeries and the like - but straight away we notice the discarded Kentucky Fried Chicken box and the empty bottle of Coke that have been thrown on the grass.   We've become attuned to noticing what we don't like rather than what we do.
   
   You can lay a lot of the blame at the way our society overall sees things.  Proventative medicine, for example, gets short-shrift, whilst a lot of people's attention is focused on their ailments.   There's little money to be made out of preventing illness but billions to be made out of treating ailments.
   
   Then we have the news media.  Once again the focus is always on the negative in human behaviour.   Murders, rapes, swindles, con men, bombers, bank robbers - they're featured every day.  Also featured are bad traffic accidents, traffice jams and corruption in high places.   Good news hardly sells at all.
   
   Let's consider Entertainment such as TV and film.   Once again it's generally about crime or something bad.   Why, there must be more serial killers on current television programs than there has ever been in the whole of human history.  One murder apparently is not enough nowadays. 
   
   The good news is the reality of our world.  There are far more good people than bad.   It is a beautiful world; we only need to notice it.   The answer is to become aware - as a habit - of what is good in our lives.   Focus on this, especially on being grateful for what we have.  This is the way to finding ourselves ignoring more the negatvity and enjoying the preponderant goodness there is in this world.

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      Abby Campbellposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent answer!

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Love you answer Tusitala Tom thank you.  You have listed the beauty that exist around us but we give power to the negative, by highlighting it and giving praise to it than the positive.  We should really be grateful for what we have.

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   manatita44posted 11 years ago

   It depends on the soul, and since it would appear that saints are fewer than the ignorant, then it cannot be the other way around. We are all weak, and we go through necessary experiences to take us beyond the region of the mind and into the heart. We are largely still in the mind, that is to say, the world of division, analysis and separation. We do not recognise our brotherhood, and we consequently suffer.
   
   Still, we are not all this way, and Love is always in charge, not you or me. It will prevail at it's choice hour.

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well said @manatita44, thanks for your comment.

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   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   I think it all depends on how we look at things. If one is a pessimist, then they are going to think negatively. If one is an optimist, they are going to think positively.

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      blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your comment @ JThomp42.

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    Abby Campbellposted 11 years ago

    I don't think it's necessarily easier to think negative than positive. It all depends on the person and his/her experiences in life. No matter what, I do believe that one can train the mind to be positive in every event.

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       blessedpposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Training the mind is key @Maximumfatloss.  Thanks for your comment.

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    WalterPoonposted 11 years ago

    It all depends on your psychological makeup. If you are by nature a pessimist, you will naturally think of the negative first. Conversely, if you are an optimist, you will think of the positive first.

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