Overcoming Negativity Bias

 By: Lauren Thomas

The Israelites in the wilderness had a problem. The problem was grumbling and complaining. God had just delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt; He was bringing them to a good land. But instead of gratitude, the Israelites were overcome with a bad attitude.

 

Something to note about the Bible is that “it doesn’t tell us what happened, it tells us what always happens” (as my Pastor likes to say). This means that we still grumble and complain today. When I read this story in Numbers 11, I could very easily insert my name every time I read “the Israelites.” I am the grumbler. I am the complainer.

In fact, most of us struggle with something called, “negativity bias.” It is the tendency to remember bad over good, to give more credence to negative experiences than positive ones, and to allow those to shape our behaviors. Negativity bias causes us to interpret stimuli as negative and to project negative outcomes. Because of negativity bias, negative experiences tend to have more power over shaping our thinking than positive experiences.

 

But God wants better for us.

 

¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Philippians 2:14-15 ESV

 

So how can we overcome negativity bias?

 

1. Repent and ask for grace. You won’t find this step in the popular psychology self-help books. But this is an important one. The difference between Numbers 11 and our situation is the cross and Christ. Jesus takes the punishment we deserve. So, ask for his forgiveness and the power to stop complaining.
2. “Cognitive Restructuring.” What you will find in pop psychology is cognitive restructuring, which means identifying and challenging our negative thoughts. Paul encourages this in 2 Corinthians 10:5 when he mentions “taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ.”
3. Choose new thoughts. Paul gives us a list of topics worthy of our thought life. See Philippians 4:8. By filling our minds with good, we leave little room for the bad.
4. Gratitude. Neuroscience tells us that gratitude has the power to rewire our brains! When we focus on thanking God, we unwire the brain patterns that cause us to grumble. See 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
5. Recall, Remember, Remind. The negativity bias causes us to automatically remember bad experiences. But when we actively choose to recall, remember, and remind ourselves of the faithfulness of God, the good things He has done for us, and His mighty acts on behalf of His people, we diminish the power of negative experiences in our lives. See Psalm 77:11.

Let’s overcome negativity bias to the glory of God, becoming lights that shine in a world darkened by negativity!

 

Reflection:

Read Numbers 11. What parallels do you see between yourself and the Israelites? How has your negativity gotten in the way of God’s plans for you? What of the above strategies would you like to try for overcoming negativity bias?