Dr. Rick Hanson

And when I stumbled on that fact in grad school, I revisited the last three days with my wife and realized I needed to raise my game in terms of the ratio of positive and negative. So that's four things right there. That's really natural. And then fifth, as a result of that, the brain gets sensitized It's designed to become sensitized to negative experiences.

And when I stumbled on that fact in grad school, I revisited the last three days with my wife and realized I needed to raise my game in terms of the ratio of positive and negative. So that's four things right there. That's really natural. And then fifth, as a result of that, the brain gets sensitized It's designed to become sensitized to negative experiences.

And when I stumbled on that fact in grad school, I revisited the last three days with my wife and realized I needed to raise my game in terms of the ratio of positive and negative. So that's four things right there. That's really natural. And then fifth, as a result of that, the brain gets sensitized It's designed to become sensitized to negative experiences.

So when we're identified with anxiety, when we're hijacked by it, or anger or frustration, or feeling inadequate, that gets reinforced very quickly in the brain, and we become even more vulnerable to that kind of experience in the future.

So when we're identified with anxiety, when we're hijacked by it, or anger or frustration, or feeling inadequate, that gets reinforced very quickly in the brain, and we become even more vulnerable to that kind of experience in the future.

So when we're identified with anxiety, when we're hijacked by it, or anger or frustration, or feeling inadequate, that gets reinforced very quickly in the brain, and we become even more vulnerable to that kind of experience in the future.

Now, that's different from mindfully experiencing negative emotions, which actually then tends to neutralize them because we're starting to associate a kind of undisturbed observing of the negative experience with the negative experience, which tends to calm it down.

Now, that's different from mindfully experiencing negative emotions, which actually then tends to neutralize them because we're starting to associate a kind of undisturbed observing of the negative experience with the negative experience, which tends to calm it down.

Now, that's different from mindfully experiencing negative emotions, which actually then tends to neutralize them because we're starting to associate a kind of undisturbed observing of the negative experience with the negative experience, which tends to calm it down.

So those are five things that we're just naturally hardwired to do, which then, sixth, outside of the neurobiology in the world, tends to create vicious cycles with other people. And that's the negativity bias in a nutshell. There's certain situations where it's really useful. You know, you grow up in a war zone or you live in a war zone, it's really handy.

So those are five things that we're just naturally hardwired to do, which then, sixth, outside of the neurobiology in the world, tends to create vicious cycles with other people. And that's the negativity bias in a nutshell. There's certain situations where it's really useful. You know, you grow up in a war zone or you live in a war zone, it's really handy.

So those are five things that we're just naturally hardwired to do, which then, sixth, outside of the neurobiology in the world, tends to create vicious cycles with other people. And that's the negativity bias in a nutshell. There's certain situations where it's really useful. You know, you grow up in a war zone or you live in a war zone, it's really handy.

But for most people, modern life most of the time, it creates all kinds of needless suffering and needless aggravation with other people. And so practically, if we tilt toward valuing beneficial experiences in a kind of hard-nosed, clear-eyed way, not out of airy-fairy positive thinking, but in a hard-nosed, clear-eyed way.

But for most people, modern life most of the time, it creates all kinds of needless suffering and needless aggravation with other people. And so practically, if we tilt toward valuing beneficial experiences in a kind of hard-nosed, clear-eyed way, not out of airy-fairy positive thinking, but in a hard-nosed, clear-eyed way.

But for most people, modern life most of the time, it creates all kinds of needless suffering and needless aggravation with other people. And so practically, if we tilt toward valuing beneficial experiences in a kind of hard-nosed, clear-eyed way, not out of airy-fairy positive thinking, but in a hard-nosed, clear-eyed way.

We're trying to grow strengths inside, in part to deal with the bad, as we lean into beneficial experiences and we help ourselves disengage from negative experiences to the extent that it's useful for us to do that and not get ruminating about them and so forth. If we tilt in those ways, we're just leveling the playing field.

We're trying to grow strengths inside, in part to deal with the bad, as we lean into beneficial experiences and we help ourselves disengage from negative experiences to the extent that it's useful for us to do that and not get ruminating about them and so forth. If we tilt in those ways, we're just leveling the playing field.

We're trying to grow strengths inside, in part to deal with the bad, as we lean into beneficial experiences and we help ourselves disengage from negative experiences to the extent that it's useful for us to do that and not get ruminating about them and so forth. If we tilt in those ways, we're just leveling the playing field.

That's part one of it. And in me, I don't like bullies. And in effect, we're being bullied by our brain. You know, so there's a part of me that's like, fuck you, right? That's one part of it. You're exactly right. But there's the other part, which is in addition to just leveling it and no longer swimming upstream, how do you grow the strengths inside?

That's part one of it. And in me, I don't like bullies. And in effect, we're being bullied by our brain. You know, so there's a part of me that's like, fuck you, right? That's one part of it. You're exactly right. But there's the other part, which is in addition to just leveling it and no longer swimming upstream, how do you grow the strengths inside?