Can you ever remember a stranger who did you a favor or something good without anything in return... Most of the times I remember those bad guys, nasty and stupid strangers... Can someone relate to my experience? And of course... explain it. Thanks.
2007-03-03 23:45:32 · 2 answers · asked by Jerry-me 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
This is a case of what's called the "negativity bias". For our ancestors, it was adaptive to pay special attention to "bad" people and things because they are what do you harm. Our ancestors also had to pay attention to good things of course, but you don't have to be quite as vigilant when an apple rolls into your lap compared with a cobra.
So evolution has shaped our brains to pay very careful attention to potentially threatening information (and people).
2007-03-04 02:10:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure that is true for everyone. It probably just depends on the situation. It is probably more likely that we remember the extremes, those who are really nice and those who are incredible *****.
2007-03-04 10:03:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋