Why do negative comments affect us so much and their effects last so long?
Today Google News We are often told in childhood that sticks and stones may break our bones, but words cannot hurt us. But as we get older and gain more experience, we realize that this is far from the truth - while physical wounds can take weeks to heal, the hurt from negative comments can last a lifetime . type of bias, which means that negative emotions usually affect us much more strongly than positive ones. This causes us to pay special attention to threats and exaggerate dangers, says Professor Roy Baumeister, Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Queensland and co-author of The Power of Bad Things and How You Can Overcome Them. Focusing on the darker side of the world around us may seem like a depressing sight, but in fact, it has helped us humans overcome many hardships, from natural disasters to epidemics and wars, by making us better equipped to deal with them (although there is evidence of Optimism can also help us protect ourselves from ...