Don't Be Fooled by Negativity

If your mind is the root of who you are, then the content you feed your mind is deeply connected with how you feel, and how you act.

Are you allowing your mind to be polluted with negativity?

I. Our brains love negativity

How often do you find yourself seeking out and engaging with content that will inspire you, uplift you, or otherwise leave you feeling better than you did before?

How often do you find yourself doom-scrolling?

Next time you’re scrolling through the news, or social media, take a second to examine what content catches your attention the most.

Chances are it won’t be the uplifting posts.

By default, most people are pre-disposed to engage with negative content. It’s a quirk of the human brain.

There’s a reason people love to bond over shared hatred towards a tv show, politician, or idea.

There’s a reason we spend so much time obsessing over everything wrong with this world.

II. Creators know this…

and everyone else is left picking up the bill.

If you investigate the art and science of copywriting, or more generally, content creation and growth/engagement strategies, chances are you’ll come across this advice: Use negative emotions to your advantage.

Whether it’s advertisements reminding you of what you don’t have, news outlets re-framing events to their most negative form, or content creators focusing on things they hate rather than what they love—negativity works.

As a quick experiment which of these two statements causes a more visceral reaction in you:

1. The one habit all billionaires share.
2. Don’t have this one habit? Enjoy being poor…

It’s easy to get attention if you employ this method. But at what cost?

The best marketers understand this power, and the least ethical employ it liberally.

III. But you still have a choice

While algorithms, ads, and marketers may often decide what gets placed in front of our eyes, we still have the choice of what to engage in.

If attention is currency, we have the choice of where to spend it.

You decide what posts you like, telling the algorithm what you want to see more of. You get to decide whether to spend time reading the replies to a news story that distresses you. You can turn it all off and pick up a good book.

No matter the narrative others try to push, you have a choice.

IV. Is it worth it?

If we have a choice of what to engage with, how do we make the determination?

Take account of the content you consume.

Next time you’re going to scroll through Twitter, note down how you feel before and after.

Do you feel better, or worse? More informed, or more confused? Optimistic, or pessimistic?

The content you consume should be working for you. It should improve your life, not be a drain on it.

A little reflection and curation will do wonders.

V. Isn’t it sometimes worth it?

I don’t mean to discourage staying up-to-date on world events or gaining a better understanding of our fellow man.

Sometimes deeply negative things deserve our attention and our understanding.

But, be intentional about your education.

Often, negative emotions can be a catalyst for change. Either internally, or in a grander sense.

This is most certainly a good thing.

But understand the cost associated with it. Your well-being has value. Ask yourself: “What is this costing me, and what am I and the world getting out of it?”

If you’re going to invest your time, your happiness, and your well-being in something, it better be worth it.

VI. Do what you can

Sometimes it’s worth investing time and energy in something negative if it will inform our perspective or improve the world.

For example, understanding social injustices, and climate change, is probably worth your time and energy.

But, you can be more intentional about it.

If you want to be informed on a topic, is scrolling the endless negative replies to a news story the best way to achieve that goal?

Chances are you’d be better off reading a book or two on the topic. It’ll be far less emotionally charged, and far more informative.

If you want to make an impact—change the world—is dedicating several hours a day to doom-scrolling and feeling bad the best way to achieve that goal?

Research what steps you can take, and which organizations you can support to make a meaningful change, and close the tweet that does nothing other than drain your optimism.

VII. Leave the rest

Finally, understand your limitations.

There are only so many hours in a day, and there is only so much of yourself emotionally for you to give.

We can’t know everything, and we can’t fix everything.

What are you willing and able to commit to?

There is no sense in spending hours a day feeling terrible about American politics when you’re a citizen of Ireland. Find an action you can take, find a meaningful way to get informed, and leave the rest.

For any given topic, effectively understand the issue at hand, and decide if you’re able to make a positive change.

Act, or let it go.

There is no sense in allowing these things to pollute your mind when you cannot impact them or aren’t committed to acting.

Otherwise, you’ll be investing your well-being for nothing.

VIII. Final

There exists an emotional asymmetry in the attention economy.

Content creators can alter the minds of millions, and many are doing so with no real focus on the ethics of their actions.

Recognize when others are playing on your attention with negative emotions.

There can be a strange king of glee in negativity. Don’t fall for it.

It’s insidious.

It may feel fulfilling for a moment, but it will slowly erode the light inside you.

Be intentional with your attention.

2021-06-05