Original 心理探寻 Psychology心理探寻 Today
Negativity Bias
负面偏见
Have you ever found yourself dwelling on an insult or fixating on your mistakes? Criticisms often have a greater impact than compliments and bad news frequently draws more attention than good. The reason for this is that negative events have a greater impact on our brains than positive ones. Psychologists refer to this as the negative bias (also called the negativity bias), and it can have a powerful effect on your behavior, your decisions, and even your relationships.
你是否曾发现自己会对受到的辱骂或自己犯过的错误无法忘怀？批评总是比赞美产生更大影响，负面新闻总是比正面新闻更引人关注。其背后原因在于：负面事件能够对我们的大脑带来比积极事件更强烈的影响。心理学家将这一现象称为“负面偏见”。它对我们的行为、决策，甚至感情关系，都影响巨大。
The negative bias is our tendency not only to register negative stimuli more readily but also to dwell on these events. Also known as positive-negative asymmetry.
负面偏见让我不仅会更关注负面刺激物，同时也会更易于沉溺于这些负面事件。该现象也被称为正面-负面不对称现象。
Your brain is simply built with a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news. The bias is so automatic that it can be detected at the earliest stage of the brain's information processing.
我们的大脑天生对负面事件更敏感。这种偏见会自动出现，以至于在大脑对信息处理过程早期就可出现。
The brain, reacts more strongly to stimuli it deems negative. There is a greater surge in electrical activity (according to studies done by John Cacioppo, Ph.D). Thus, our attitudes are more heavily influenced by downbeat news than good news.
大脑对它所认为的负面刺激物会做出更强烈反应，表现出更强烈电流活动。因此，负面新闻对我们态度所造成的影响要高于正面新闻。
Our capacity to weigh negative input so heavily most likely evolved for a good reason—to keep us out of harm's way. From the dawn of human history, our very survival depended on our skill at dodging danger. The brain developed systems that would make it unavoidable for us not to notice danger and thus, hopefully, respond to it.
我们之所以会进化出这一倾向，是有充分原因的——为了让我们避免伤害。从人类历史早期，我们的生存就取决于我们的避险能力。因此，大脑就演化出了这样一个系统，让我们肯定能够注意到危险，并且最好能做出回应。
Having the built-in brain apparatus supersensitive to negativity means that the same bad-news bias also is at work in every sphere of our lives at all times.
大脑对负面事件天生超级敏感，这意味着我们日常生活中，负面新闻也总是会带给我们更强烈的影响。
This psychological phenomenon explains why bad first impressions can be so difficult to overcome and why past traumas can have such long lingering effects. In almost any interaction, we are more likely to notice negative things and later remember them more vividly.
这种心理现象也解释了为什么第一印象如此难以克服，以及过去的创伤为何会影响深远。在几乎所有互动中，我们都会更可能去注意到负面事物，而且它们也会给我们留下更鲜明的回忆。
This bias toward the negative leads you to pay much more attention to the bad things that happen, making them seem much more important than they really are.
这种负面偏见会导致我们更关注所发生的负面事物，从而就会让我们高估它们的重要性。
Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
巴德尔-迈因霍夫现象
Say, for instance, you’ve just learned a new word that you’ve never heard before. The next thing you know you hear your best mate say it, it’s in the next chapter of the book you’re reading, and your boss uses it in your weekly catch up. It can feel like a huge coincidence. That everyone around you has simultaneously discovered this word also.
假设说，你刚刚学到了一个你之前从没听过的新词。接下来你会发现你的好朋友在说这个词，你读的书下一章节里面也出现了这个词，你老板在你每周例会时也在讲这个词。感觉像是巨大的巧合。好像是你身边的每个人都同时也发现了这个词。
However, in reality, your brain is playing tricks on you. Fortunately, there is a rational explanation for all these strange goings-on.
但实际上，这只是你的大脑给你玩的一个把戏。幸运的是，在这些奇怪的巧合背后，是有合理解释的。
What is the science behind the phenomenon?
该现象的心理学解析
Stanford University linguistics professor Arnold Zwicky explored the idea of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon in detail. He attributes the phenomenon the more scientific name ‘frequency illusion’. According to Zwicky, frequency illusion, or the feeling that once you notice something it is everywhere, is the consequence of two psychological processes: selective attention and confirmation bias.
斯坦福大学语言学教授 Arnold Zwicky 研究了巴德尔-迈因霍夫现象。他给它取了一个更科学的名称：频率错觉。Zwicky 认为，频率错觉（一旦你注意到某事物，它就会无处不在）背后，是两种心理现象在作祟：“选择关注”与“确认偏见”。
Every day we are ambushed by an incredibly large amount of information, thoughts, and emotions. As it is impossible for our brain to process all of this, we are selective about where we focus our attention. This is what psychologists know as selective attention.
每天，我们都面对着铺天盖地的信息、想法和情绪。由于我们的大脑无法处理上述全部内容，我们会选择所关注的内容。这就是心理学家所说的“选择关注”。
Where we focus on what is relevant to us and ignore what isn’t. Concerning the concept of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, when you learn something new, selective attention means that you’re more likely to notice this than other pieces of information that pass your way.
我们会关注与我们相关信息，忽略无关内容。而在巴德尔-迈因霍夫现象中，当你习得了某样新知识，相对于其他信息，你就会更可能去关注你所习得的这一新知识。
This is compounded by confirmation bias.
“确认偏见”也是原因之一
This is where our brain actively searches for information that confirms that we are right about something. Within the context of frequency illusion, when we have learned something new confirmation bias leads us to look out for this new piece of information as it is interesting to us.
确认偏见，是指我们的大脑会积极搜索能够确认我们观点正确性的信息。在频率错觉中，当我们习得了某些新知识，确认偏见就会引导我们去密切注意这一新信息，因为它现在对我们而言是有趣的。
As you begin to notice this new piece of information everywhere, your brain seeks to rationalize this and tells you that it must be new to lots of people who are discovering it at the same time. In reality, you’ve tuned into this piece of information that has actually always been there. Only now you’ve noticed it.
而当你开始注意到这一新信息似乎无处不在，你的大脑会自动给出合理解释，告诉你，肯定很多人以前也不知道它，而且现在一起发现了它。实际上，这个信息一直都在，只不过你才注意到它而已。
When the frequency illusion occurs, it can feel exciting and like something extra special is happening to us. However, here the term ‘illusion’ speaks volumes and ultimately derives from the way our brains work. The brain loves to seek patterns so it can make sense of the world. Once it has honed in on a new piece of information, it will continue to seek and find this. Disregarding other new pieces of info that it may come across in the process.
当频率错觉发生时，会让人觉得兴奋，觉得这超级奇特。但正如该现象名称所说，它是一种“错觉”，不过是我们大脑工作原理所导致的而已。大脑喜欢找寻规律，为的是让它感觉自己能够理解这个世界。一旦它开始关注某个信息，它会继续搜寻这一信息，并且无视它在搜寻过程中可能遇到的其他新信息。
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Where did the name come from?
该名称源于何处？
At this point, you may be thinking ‘why is it called the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon?’ Baader-Meinhof were a militant West German radical leftist group. They engaged in terrorist bombings, arson, kidnappings and assassinations, attacking West German and U.S. military institutions in West Germany during the 1970s. So what on earth has this got to do with frequency illusion?
到这里，你可能会想，为什么要叫这个名字呢？Baader-Meinhof（巴德尔-迈因霍夫）是西德军事极端左倾团体。上世纪70年代，他们开展恐怖主义炸弹袭击、纵火、绑架、刺杀、攻击西德的西德和美国军事组织，无恶不作。那么，这跟频率错觉有何关系呢？
Allegedly, the surprising source of the name was the St.Paul Minnesota Pioneer Press online discussion board. In 1994, one commentator had come across the Baader-Meinhof group two times within 24 hours while he had never heard of them previously. He named this strange occurrence ‘the Badder-Meinhof Phenomenon’.
据说，令人意想不到的是，这一名字最初出现在圣保罗先驱报的网上讨论版块中。1994年，一位读者在24小时之内，遇到了 Baader-Meinhof 团体这个词两次，而他之前从未听到过这个词。他将这一奇怪事件取名为“Baader-Meinhof （巴德-迈因霍夫）现象”
Apparently, the originator of the phrase was very surprised by how it had taken off so vehemently after a passing comment in his local paper discussion board. It wasn’t until 2006 that the aforementioned Professor Arnold Zwicky re-named the phenomenon the more scientifically acceptable ‘frequency illusion’.
很明显，这个“创始人”也十分惊奇在当地报纸评论区随手发了一条评论之后，这个词竟会爆火。直至2006年，上文中提到的 Arnold Zwicky 教授将其重新命名为更具科学性的
“频率错觉”。How do businesses use the frequency illusion?
商家如何利用频率错觉？
It probably won’t be surprising to hear that businesses often use frequency illusion to manipulate us into giving our custom. Also known as the ‘psychology of marketing’, some businesses use the frequency illusion as part of their marketing strategy. They plant an idea in our minds and continue to trigger this thought until they reach the intended outcome.
如果说商家常常用频率错觉来操纵我们，你可能并不感到惊奇。作为一种营销心理学，一些企业在营销策略中会使用频率错觉。他们先在我们大脑中植入一个概念，之后会不断触发，直至他们达成他们想要的结果。
It starts with a vibrant image or headline to grab our attention and then they plug this message via a variety of channels repeatedly. In this way, selective attention and confirmation bias work in unison to convince us that there must be a reason why this certain product/idea/event keeps following us around.
首先他们会采用一个引人注意的图片或标题来获得你的注意，之后他们会不断通过其他多种渠道植入这一信息。这样，选择关注与确认偏见共同起作用，让我们误以为，这件产品/理念/事件不断在我们周围出现，肯定是有某种原因的。
Companies using this technique have to be careful that you don’t realize that the frequency illusion is being manipulated. Otherwise, when you see a targeted advert repeatedly, it may freak you out rather than grab your attention.
而使用这一策略的企业需要谨慎，不要让客户意识到商家正在利用频率错觉现象。否则，当你不断重复看到一条定向投放的广告，它可能会吓到你，而非吸引你的注意。
Having read this article, you will now no doubt be seeing the words ‘Baader-Meinhof’, ‘selective attention’, and ‘confirmation bias’ following you around. At least, now you know that it isn’t a set of incredibly unlikely coincidences. Instead, it is a product of your brain seeking to make patterns in an otherwise indiscernible maze of information.
读完这篇文章，你肯定会发现“巴德-迈因霍夫”、“选择关注”和“确认偏见”似乎如影随形跟着你。至少，现在你知道这不是一些极度不可能的巧合，只是你的大脑试图在纷乱信息中找出规律而已。
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How to Handle the Coronavirus News
如何应对关于冠状病毒的新闻
If you’ve been disturbed by the coronavirus news because of high fear of disease and contamination, there are several steps you can take to lower your fear and anxiety.
如果冠状病毒相关新闻对你造成负面影响，因为你害怕生病，害怕被感染。那么你可以通过以下步骤，降低恐惧和焦虑：
· Be guided by medical advice and not your feelings: Adopt the health hygiene practices recommended by the CDC. Resist the temptation to go beyond these recommendations in order to feel less anxious or afraid.
· Limit your exposure to coronavirus news: Given your bias for threat, it’s best to restrict time spent searching the latest news on the coronavirus. You’ll want to be well-informed from health advisories but make sure your sources are credible.
· Avoid compulsive washing: Follow the CDC guidelines for washing your hands. If you find yourself washing until you feel better, this may be a sign you’ve slipped into OCD territory.
· Normalize your life: Don’t let fear rule your daily living. As the coronavirus news becomes more urgent, be guided by reason, responsibility, and keep your fears in check.
· 听从专业医疗建议，而非个人感受：遵循疾控中心建议的健康卫生措施。可能你很想更进一步，做得更极致一些，抑制住这种想法，从而减少你的焦虑感和恐惧感。
· 少看关于冠状病毒的新闻：考虑到我们对威胁等负面信息会更加关注，最好不要花很多时间去搜索关于冠状病毒的最新新闻。你需要获得充分的医疗卫生建议信息，但尽量确保信息来源可靠。
· 避免强迫型清洗：遵循疾控中心发布的洗手指南。如果你发现自己不断在洗手，直至自己感觉好一些，那么这可能意味着你已经开始表现出强迫症（OCD）。
· 让生活恢复常态：不要让恐惧支配你的日常生活。当关于冠状病毒的新闻日益严峻，一定要用理性和责任来指引自己，并且克制自己的恐惧感。
References：
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200306/our-brains-negative-bias
https://www.learning-mind.com/baader-meinhof-phenomenon/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-runaway-mind/202003/media-fear-and-the-coronavirus-outbreak
https://www.verywellmind.com/negative-bias-4589618
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