Ever since I bought my Jeep in January, I see Jeeps everywhere. I had no idea that there were that many on the road because I had always just filtered them as part of the “background” as I drove. But as soon as I started looking at that kind of vehicle, it’s like the world is now filled with Jeeps. It’s a truth that we tend to see – or rather focus on – the things we are looking for. As children, it was important that we learned to spot dangers and negative cues to help keep us safe. As adults, that tendency to notice the negatives also has a secondary and more harmful effect of keeping us anxious and unhappy if we let it. But the Bible gives us three definite steps to defeat the negativity bias of our minds.
Negativity Bias – What Is It?
It’s a cognitive phenomenon. Because of the way our brains are hard-wired for survival, we tend to notice the negative first. After all, it’s important that we can recognize dangers and even situations that might lead to danger down the road. Because of that great need, it becomes a focus. We tend to remember negative things more vividly than positive things, and we are often much more heavily influenced by things that are bad than things that are good. On the one hand, it’s useful to keep us safe and help us to recognize when things might need our attention or action. On the other, it can often skew our perception of situations and leave us with a negative mindset much of the time.
How Does It Work?
For example, imagine that you are having a great day. You hit all the green lights on the way to your job, came to work in a clean office, and interacted with friendly people all day. But at the end of your shift, a rude customer called in to complain about you unfairly to your boss. Which part of the day will you remember later to talk about with your significant other? The many things that were right, or the one thing that was wrong? Just like my brain had filtered Jeeps until I was looking for Jeeps, our minds often filter the many neutral and positive things in our lives and focus on the negatives that might be dangerous or need to be dealt with.
Now add the spiritual aspect of it. The Enemy of our souls can bring attacks that make us feel bad just right out of the blue. As soon as we sense it, we start scanning for reasons. When did this feeling start? What was the cause? How can we fix it? We start processing the things that we experienced and how people treated us, looking for the negatives that might be the culprit. And as we have already said, the more we look for things, the more likely we are to find them. If we feel anxious or sad and scan for stimuli that are threatening or at least have the potential for danger, we are likely to find them. Suddenly, it feels like negativity is everywhere!
Try This Exercise
Right now, you are experiencing thousands of pieces of information that your brain could be processing. You don’t notice most of them because you have what’s called “selective attention.” You are focused on reading this article, so that’s what you notice.
- Now shift your attention to your breathing. (Notice the breath in your lungs that God gave you today. Are you using it to praise Him?)
- Notice how your shirt feels against your skin. (Is it scratchy or smooth? Loose or tight? Has God well provided for you there?)
- How does your mouth taste? (Minty fresh or leftover onions because you’ve had a good meal?)
- Now pay attention to the sounds in the room. (Do you hear the whir of a fan, car sounds, or people talking? Are they the people who love you and help you?)
- What about the lights? (Is it a bright fluorescent light or a soft light from a window? Are they connected to the safe place you have to live?)
All those stimuli were there just a minute ago too, but you probably didn’t notice any of them until you focused your attention there. It’s the same with positive information. We have tons and tons of blessings all around us in our lives, but unless we make a concerted effort to FOCUS on them, the chances are that they will be filtered out without us even realizing it.
3 Steps the Bible Gives Us to Deal with Negativity Bias
1. Challenge/Capture Our Thoughts
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
Since it’s a bias, much of the time we don’t even realize that we’re focusing on the negative and ignoring the positive. However, once we notice that our thoughts have turned that way, it’s important to challenge those thoughts. It’s called “cognitive diffusion.” It means looking at our thoughts instead of getting caught up in them. We simply stop the thoughts at the door of our reactions like a security guard with a metal detector. When we start to hear things like, “Everything is going wrong” or “Nobody cares about me,” we can appreciate them as our mind’s attempt at protection. “Thank you, brain, for trying to keep me safe, but I would also like to be happy.” Then we can scan for further information focusing on the things that are going right and the people who DO care about us.
After all, the Bible tells us to capture any thoughts that aren’t pleasing to God. Think about the verse after verse of the Bible that tell us to focus on and think about the positive things and turn away from the things (from the past or of this world) that cause us unnecessary pain.
OT Bible verses to support it:
- Psalm 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
- Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”
- Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
- Psalm 94:19 “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.“
- Psalm 119:16 “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”
NT Bible verses to support it:
- Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again, I say, Rejoice.”
- John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
- John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
- 1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
- Matthew 6:25, 33 “Therefore I say unto you, ‘Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?… But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’”
- Philippians 2:14 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings:”
- James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
2. Re-focus Our Minds on the Positive
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Philippians 4:8
Once again, it’s a truth that we will see/focus on/process the things we are looking for. If we train ourselves to focus on the good things in our lives, we will start to see more and more of them. One way we can do that is by keeping a “gratitude journal.” Each day, we can take just a few moments (whether mentally or on paper) to answer the question, “What is there to be grateful for today?” Our minds will then start scanning for information. Once we get that mental pathway set, we will start automatically looking for things to put in our journals later that day. Like a cart that has dug deep ruts into the ground from constant travel, we will forge new connections for positivity in our minds.
When you start to research it, you realize that the Bible tells us again and again that we must make a concerted effort to shift our thinking away from the negative and temporal and onto the positive and eternal.
- Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
- Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
- Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
- Psalm 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.”
3. P-R-A-Y (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield)
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
The negativity bias is one of the biggest contributors to anxiety because it feeds on itself. The more anxious you feel, the more you scan for reasons to find solutions. But what you often end up with are just more and more reasons to be anxious. Instead, the Bible reminds us of the futility of worry when it says, “And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?” (Luke 12:25). In other words, who can change even the smallest detail just by thinking and fretting about things? Instead, it tells us to break the cycle with prayer. Give our concerns to God and rest in Him.
- Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
- Matthew 11:28-29 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
- Psalm 100:4 “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
- Proverbs 17:22 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
More Than Just Our Happiness at Stake
“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
Everybody would rather be happy than sad, at peace rather than in turmoil, and positive rather than negative. But it’s not just about how we feel. The Bible is also clear that living with a positive mindset also affects so many other aspects of our lives. That’s why the Enemy works so hard to keep us upset and anxious instead of living with the victory available to us through Jesus Christ. Nehemiah reminds us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. But it can also affect our health and ultimately our witness for Christ.
- Proverbs 4:20-23 “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
- Proverbs 12:25 “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop but a good word maketh it glad.”
- Proverbs 15:13 “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”
Breaking Cycles and Building Patterns
Between the Enemy and our mind’s own propensity toward the negative, we can start to feel overwhelmed and anxious if we remain passive. Instead, the Bible tells us to act. We must stop negative thoughts, reframe our thinking to the positive, and pray about everything. When we defeat the negativity bias of our minds, we will stay strong, happy, and healthy, and that will make us an overall better witness for Christ. Start today!
Free Downloadable Gratitude Journal
The science part of the article came from this very informational video from the Therapy in a Nutshell channel.
Enjoy articles with numbers? Try 4 Ways to Avoid Spiritual Deception. In it, I tell a story about a time I was deceived and what God taught me though the experience. Or, try 4 Distractions For Christians We Must Beware . Please subscribe to my blog via email on the upper right corner and check out my YouTube channel where I read my blogs out loud and have a playlist of Hymns from my church.
