Maybe you’ve seen it in your classroom - a student receives an assessment score of 97 per cent and, instead of being happy about everything they got correct, they focus on the lost 3 per cent and feel disappointed.

Maybe you’ve seen it among teaching staff, when the introduction of a new policy or procedure is met with rolling eyes and scepticism despite it being in an effort to improve the school.

Or maybe you’ve felt it yourself, when a great day turns bad in an instant because you accidentally burn the evening meal.

These are all examples of the human negativity bias - an innate part of the human psyche which directs our focus to the negative aspects of our lives instead of the positive. This is an evolutionary trait we’ve inherited from our ancestors, who developed it when focusing on immediate dangers and threats meant a better chance of survival. 

While it’s hard to argue that this evolutionary gift isn’t useful in some circumstances, generally, in the modern world, our negativity bias can get in the way of many things, and this is especially true in schools. How many times have you seen a new initiative not work out because a few too many staff members were “dragging their feet”? 

How to defeat negativity bias

The good news is that we can control our negativity bias. By making an active choice to seek out the positives in our lives, we can counterbalance our natural, negative focus. Seeking the positives has many associated benefits in a school setting but how can this culture be established? Here are three steps that should help:

1. Get the buy-in 

It doesn’t matter if you are speaking to staff or students, it is crucial they are on board with the message from the start. Negativity bias is a simple concept that everyone can relate to - we all experience it every day, so introduce the concept using relatable examples before applying it to a school setting.

At the introductory stage, the benefits of a positive focus should be made clear. Increased levels of productivity, broader thinking and more creative ways to solve problems are all benefits to emphasise, as well as the immeasurable effect on morale and atmosphere.

To put it simply, when maintaining a positive outlook, individuals are more effective and the environment is more conducive for progress. 

The aim of the introduction is to highlight why making an active effort to focus on the positives will help individuals and your wider school, not to make people feel guilty for possessing a negativity bias. Leave any criticisms at the door and ensure you are practising what you are preaching. Be positive! 

2. Put it into practice  

Once the message is understood and accepted, challenge people to put their new-found positivity into practice. A great way to help implement this is by sharing Dr Barbara Fredrickson’s 3:1 ratio model.

This approach states that to counterbalance your innate negativity bias, you should have three positive experiences for every one negative experience. You can keep track of these each day by maintaining a simple record in your planner or phone. Once seeking the positives each day becomes second nature, keeping records may not be required. 

Empowerment and ownership are the keys to the long-term sustainability of this new, positive-centred outlook. Your audience needs to feel part of a bigger picture - what they are doing as individuals is contributing to a greater good.

Empower people to speak up and challenge needlessly negative actions. They should feel confident to address situations not critically but in support of the bigger picture and long-term goal. 

3. Embed it in your culture

Once your culture is established, keep it fresh by holding regular events such as a “gratitude week” or by promoting random acts of kindness. These initiatives will deepen the culture you are building and help embed it into daily practice.

It will also allow people to think of new and exciting ways to positively contribute to the environment around them. Every effort counts, no matter how big or small.  

It should be noted that having negative thoughts or feelings is not a bad thing, it’s very natural and, in fact, healthy. The aim of shifting your focus to the positive aspects of your life isn’t to eliminate negative experiences completely, it’s to help you jump the hurdles that negative emotions can put in your way. Once you’ve started clearing the hurdles, you’ll never look back.