Which smiley immediately catches your attention?

Which smiley immediately catches your attention? 🧠

There is a good chance that a smiley is with the corners of the mouth down.

But why do negative things immediately grab your attention? Hansen & Hansen (1988) investigated the phenomenon of “Finding the Face in the Crowd”.

Participants were shown a grid of faces, in which: a) there were several happy or neutral faces. b) and one angry or negative face was hidden. Result?

People recognized the angry face much faster than a happy or neutral expression.

Why does this work this way?

a) Negativity bias → Our brain processes negative information faster and more intensely than positive information.

b) Evolution & survival → Quickly recognizing threats had a survival advantage.

c) Amygdala response → This brain region processes negative emotions more efficiently than positive stimuli.

And now the reality: this happens all day long!

➡️ News? Negative headlines stick.

➡️Feedback? One critical comment outweighs ten compliments.

➡️ Social media? Negative news gets more clicks and comments than positive messages.

What can you do with this?

1) Be aware of this bias. Don't let negativity hijack your attention.

2) Train yourself to also notice positive signals. This is not naivete, but mental balance.

3) Use this insight in communication & leadership.

Do you want to make an impact? Then make sure that positive signals stand out in a world where negativity dominates.

Negativity automatically attracts your attention. But you decide what you focus on.

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