Have you ever noticed how hostile the world is today?
You go to turn on the news, and the reporter is discussing the latest shootings or the war in Russia. When you scroll through social media, you notice the many arguments people are having over the slightest disagreement.
What about your inner self? Do you find your mental health in a primarily negative state? When one bad thing happens to you, do you fixate on it all day?
With so much negativity around, how can you change it to thrive in a more positive environment?
In this episode of "The Sales Evangelist Podcast," host Donald Kelly speaks with Anthony Iannarino, the author of the book "The Negativity Fast." Tune in to discover the health risks of negativity, the benefits of gratitude, and why you need to grab a copy of this book.
Negativity Fast Background
- After the shutdown and people returning to their regular routines, Anthony noticed how everyone around had a negative aurora around them. Everybody complained about everything, no matter how minor the issue was.
- Due to this, he conducted research on why humans are more pessimistic and struggle with staying positive. In his book, you’ll discover the scientific reasons for negativity and how people can switch to becoming more positive.
- One thing he noticed while researching and writing the book was that he was writing it for the wrong group of people. He believes mindfulness and knowing the importance of mental health should be taught to children in elementary schools. Doing so will help them remain optimistic as they become adults, and they can struggle less when it comes to their mental health.
Why Are People So Negative?
- Anthony discusses how many people operate on negativity bias in his book. This prevents them from seeing the positives in their lives.
- He also shares the four elements of negativity bias:
- Negative potency: Negative things register more emotionally than positive things.
- Steeper negative gradients: The closer you get to an adverse event, the more damaging it feels to you.
- Negative dominance: You focus more on something negative, even though something positive just happened to you.
- Negative differentiation: It’s harder for your brain to process negative experiences.
- He also shares that people are more negative due to being in an ACDC environment. ACDC stands for Accelerated Constant Disruptive Change. Anthony provides an example of AI technology and how everyone saw it as unfavorable based on the ACDC environment analogy.
How Do You Stop Complaining?
- Anthony shares that life expectancy is going down due to fentanyl and suicide. People turn to drugs and believe they need to escape due to not seeing the positives in life and not having anything good to look forward to.
- His secret to stop complaining is to remember it’s bad for his physical and mental health. From his research, he discovered that when someone is a chronic complainer, the hippocampus gland in the brain begins to shrink. As it shrinks, it’s harder for you to figure out how to fix your problem.
- He also discusses how those who complain all of the time ruin their relationships as it pushes people away. Nobody wants to listen to somebody be negative all of the time.
- Anthony shares that the best thing to do about your problem is to correct it.
Importance of Gratitude
- When you buy his book, you'll notice two pages of citations on the benefits of gratitude. He included the sources because he wanted people to know the scientific research behind gratefulness. Some benefits include better cognitive thinking, reduced chances of heart attack, a stronger immune system, closer relationships, and reduced inflammation within the body.
- Suppose you want to help others or yourself to practice more gratitude. Anthony says it's best to follow Martin Seligman's advice. At the end of your day, write down three things that went well for you and why they did. After doing it for a month, you'll notice that more good things happen to you than bad things. This will help you shift your focus on the negatives and realize the good within your life.
Why You Should Help Others?
- Anthony shares a story of him buying dogs from the humane society. The workers posted a picture of him on Facebook, calling him an angel. After that, more people came to the organization to buy animals.
- He also shares a story of why he gave a homeless man $80.00, and his daughter thought he was crazy for doing so. However, it was a wonderful thing that he helped the man.
- The moral of the stories is that taking the time to help others makes you forget about what you’re complaining about.
The last piece of advice from Anthony is to remember your time here is short, and you should spend it in a positive state as much as you can. You're the source of your negativity and can shift it to positive.
If you are in a negative state of mind most of the time, you must listen to this TSE podcast episode. It's an insightful episode that'll show you how important it is to care for your mental well-being.
Also, don't forget to grab your copy of Anthony Iannarino's newest book, "Do A Negativity Fast This Year."
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