THINKER'S ALMANAC - May 16

How can a female protagonist from a 1913 novel help us see the glass as half full rather than half empty?

Subject:  Negativity Bias - Pollyanna’s Glad Game

Event:  Birthday of psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, 1953

In marital interactions, it takes at least five good or constructive actions to make up the damage done by one critical or destructive act. In financial transitions and gambles, the pleasure of gaining a certain amount of money is smaller than the pain of losing the same amount. -Jonathan Haidt

Today is the birthday of psychologist Roy F. Baumeister.  In 2019, along with his colleague, John Tierney, Baumeister published a book called The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It.  The book’s main idea is simple:  when it comes to human perception, the bad is more prominent than the good.  In other words, “Bad is stronger than good.”  We pay much more attention to criticism than we do to praise; likewise, penalties motivate us more than rewards do, and we fear losses more than we value gains.  It appears that humans are hardwired to see the glass as half empty rather than half full.

                                                                Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

This negative default -- known as the negativity bias -- makes sense when you think of how our ancestors survived.  Those who cautiously lived by Murphy’s law - “What can go wrong will go wrong” - were the ones who survived.  In a hostile environment where you were potential prey for a hungry predator, being vigilantly on the lookout for danger was much more important than focusing on, say, a beautiful sunrise.

Although our innate default is toward negativity, there is an antidote that comes from the conscious will to see the world differently.  It’s called the Pollyanna principle.  The name comes from a 1913 novel about an orphan, named Pollyanna, who despite her personal tragedy and unfortunate circumstances, remains positive and cheerful.  Pollyanna’s secret strategy is called the Glad Game which allows her to reframe any negative situation into a positive one by consciously choosing to seek out a reason to rejoice.  For example, at one point in the novel, Pollyanna stays with a cruel, kindless aunt, who lives alone in a mansion filled with spacious and lavishly furnished rooms.  The room that Pollyanna is given, however, is a small, Spartan space in the attic.  Rather than focus on her sad surroundings, Pollyanna plays the Glad Game, rejoicing in the beautiful view from the attic window and the fact that there is nothing in the room to distract her as she gazes out onto the scenic view (1).

One specific way to cultivate the habit of seeing reasons to rejoice is to make lists of your blessings.  This simple practice of looking at how your glass is half full has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and increase health and long-term satisfaction with life.

In June 2000, Neil Pasricha started a blog called 1000 Awesome Things as a reminder that although there is plenty of bad news every day, there are also a lot of things to be thankful for, things that Pasricha characterizes as “the free, easy little joys that make life sweet.”  On Pasricha’s blog each “Awesome Thing” is numbered. Below is a small sample of numbers 498 to 492:

#498 Long comfortable silences between really close friends

#497 The moment after the show ends and before the applause begins

#496 Seeing way worse weather on TV somewhere else

#495 When it suddenly just clicks

#494 Cutting your sandwich into triangles

#493 When that zit growing on your forehead suddenly just disappears

#492 The first text message between new friends

Each numbered item is linked to a detailed entry, describing in vivid detail what makes the thing truly awesome (2).

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What is the Negativity Bias. How does the Negativity Bias relate to Pollyanna’s Glad Game?

Challenge -  26 Awesome Things to Be Thankful For: What are 26 things you are thankful for?  Brainstorm a list of at least 26 awesome things to be thankful for, one for each letter of the alphabet, such as Accordions, The Beatles, Canned Food, Donuts, etc.  Once you have your A to Z list, select one item on your list, and write a detailed description that shows and tells why that one item is so awesome.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

May 16, 1763:  Today is the anniversary of the first meeting between Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), the author of the landmark Dictionary of the English Language, and his biographer James Boswell (1740-1795).  The two men met in Davies’ London bookshop and established a friendship that would allow Boswell to produce what is recognized as the greatest biography ever written:  The Life of Samuel Johnson, published in 1791.

Sources:

1-Tierney, John and Roy F. Baumeister.  The Power of Bad. New York: Penguin Books, 2019.

2-1000 Awesome Things. http://1000awesomethings.com/.