As I scroll through my Facebook feed, I’ve started to think maybe we actually LIKE feeling negative. Maybe we like the negativity, the anger, the fighting and everything that comes with it.
Why else would we furiously type negative comments all over Facebook, arguing with people we don’t even know.
Some people actually say negativity is an addiction – even comparing it to addictions to drugs and alcohol. A so-called happiness engineer wrote on HuffPost.com about the pleasure centers of the brain.
When we talk about addictions a lot of times we think of things like drugs, sex, food, etc. As you know, these things basically activate the reward centers in the brain. We can create these pathways in the brain with negative emotions as well. Our self-pity, anger or guilt can activate those same beta-endorphin and dopamine pathways.
To hear more about the Five to One rule that can help you override your negative experiences with positive ones and how to rid your live of negativity – listen to the full episode of Happiness in Progress. Just click the play button at the top of this page, or listen on iTunes, Stitcher or online by clicking here.
I asked you about how you fight negativity. I loved the ideas I got on Facebook. Check them out here and join in on the conversation!
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