Debunking the Myth: Can Our Brains Really Not Process Negatives? 🧠

Don't read this to find out if you can process negative statements... (7min read)

TL;DR Summary:

• The myth originates from early psychology, suggesting the brain struggles with negative constructs.

• Processing negations requires more cognitive effort, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and limbic system.

• While positive statements simplify cognitive processing, negative statements are useful in high-attention scenarios.

• The brain's negativity bias makes negatives effective in risk communication.

• Personality influences response to negative feedback.

• Essentially, the brain can process negatives but does so with more effort, depending on the context.

Welcome Back!

As you know, one of my favorite pastimes is debunking scientific myths, and today is a juicy one.

The concept under examination today is the belief that “brains can’t process negatives.”

You know what I’m talking about… How many times do you need to run through the snake oil pitch that goes something like this…

“Don’t think of a pink elephant.”

“AHHAA!! You see!! You thought of a pink elephant!! Therefore, I, some random internet guru who took a weekend NLP course, can assure you that your brain cannot process negatives!!”

This extremely unscientific theory implies that the brain skips the "don't" and focuses only on the latter part of the sentence.

But, is there any real science behind this? Hopefully, my sarcasm above didn’t give away the answer too soon!

Let’s not dive in! (Haha, sorry… Couldn’t help myself… 😅)

The Origin Story of This Myth

The myth that the brain cannot process negatives likely stems from a combination of early 20th-century behavioral psychology, linguistic studies on the complexity of negations, and cognitive psychology's insights into information processing.

Oversimplifications of the research in these fields gained popularity in the self-help and pop psychology industry… Surprise, surprise.

These simplifications were used to emphasize the effectiveness of positive affirmations, leading to a misinterpretation that the brain struggles with negative constructs.

And of course, the media has further simplified these complex psychological and linguistic theories into a catchy, albeit misleading, concept that the “brain can’t process negatives.”

While this concept is directionally accurate, the truth is far more nuanced.

In fact, there are even times when negative statements are more effective than positive ones!

Deciphering the Truth with Neuroscience

As you now know, the idea that the brain has difficulty processing negative statements is rooted in several aspects of neuroscience and psychology, however, it’s much more complex than the notion that the brain simply "translates" negative statements into their positive counterparts.

To fully grasp this phenomenon, we must examine the brain's structure and function while also exploring psychological research.

First of all, your brain comprises several regions, each responsible for different aspects of processing.

Two key players in understanding this myth are the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system.

Prefrontal Cortex

Your prefrontal cortex, which aids in decision-making and cognitive behavior, is vital in understanding complex sentences, especially those with negatives.

It enables you to grasp the context and true meaning of sentences.

Limbic System

Meanwhile, your limbic system, especially the amygdala, is linked to emotional responses.

When you encounter a negative statement, your emotional reaction can sometimes overpower the logical processing of the negation.

The Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Your brain's reticular activating system (RAS) is crucial for maintaining wakefulness and focus.

When you hear a positive statement, your RAS guides your attention to the mentioned action or object. In contrast, negative statements might first make you think about the unwanted action or object before switching focus.

Studies in psychology, especially those on attention and focus, show that you are faster and more accurate when following positive instructions than negative ones.

As you can start to see, there is some truth to this myth!

Next, we need to explore how our brain processes information.

The Cognitive Processing of Language

Your brain, a marvel in processing complex language, faces a unique challenge with negations.

When someone tells you, "Don't forget your keys," your brain first processes "forget your keys" and then must reverse this understanding.

This double-step, involving regions like the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, adds to your cognitive load.

In contrast, when you hear a positive statement like "Remember your keys," your brain can process this more directly.

This simplicity helps you focus and respond more effectively.

Research supports this phenomenon as well, with fMRI studies revealing increased brain activity in areas related to cognitive control and conflict resolution when processing negations!

Motivation and Reward Systems

Positive statements also engage your brain's reward system, including areas like the nucleus accumbens.

This system releases neurotransmitters like dopamine in response to positive reinforcement, boosting your motivation and learning.

And, studies in psychology and neuroscience have consistently found that positive reinforcement is more effective in motivating you and changing your behavior than negative reinforcement.

So, case closed, right? The brain can’t process negatives! Wrong.

Just because positive reinforcement and statements are generally more effective, doesn’t mean the brain CAN’T process negatives.

The more nuanced conclusion is that it takes more energy and processing time to process negatives, not that it ignores them completely.

In fact, by studying kids, we can see that processing negatives is a skill we develop over time.

Children vs. Adults Responses to Negatives

In a study with children, when instructed with phrases like "Don't touch the vase," younger children often focused on the action word "touch" rather than the negation.

This is attributed to the developmental stage of their prefrontal cortex.

In contrast, adults generally have a better grasp of negations.

If an adult is told, "Don't think of a pink elephant," they might initially picture it but can quickly redirect their thoughts, thanks to a more developed prefrontal cortex.

While your first reaction to negative statements might focus on their positive elements, this isn't a limitation of your brain's ability to process information.

Rather, it shows how your emotions and cognitive processing work together.

As your prefrontal cortex fully develops, you become skilled at understanding and responding to negations.

The Argument FOR Negative Thinking

You read that right.

While the prevailing view in psychology and neuroscience is that positive statements tend to be more effective for the reasons I’ve outlined above that’s not the end of the story!

There is also research that suggests negative statements can be uniquely effective in certain situations.

The Negativity Bias

There's a phenomenon known as the "negativity bias," where negative experiences or emotions have a greater impact on one's psychological state than neutral or positive ones.

For example, one study found that negative information weighs more heavily on the brain than positive information, possibly because negative information often signals a potential threat, thus demanding more cognitive resources.

This is why nearly everyone is more drawn in by negative news and media than positive things.

This negative bias has kept us safe, evolutionarily speaking.

Knowing a tiger will eat you down a certain path is more important than knowing berries are down that same path.

So, not only can your brain process negatives, it MUST process them to survive.

Risk and Urgency

That being said, this negative bias makes negative wording, like “Danger: High Voltage,” more effective at conveying the immediate severity of risk than its positive counterpart, “Ensure Safety: High Voltage Area” in risky situations.

Research in safety and risk communication suggests that direct and clear warnings, often negatively framed, are crucial for effectively altering behavior in high-risk scenarios.

Negative statements can also create a sense of urgency or importance!

Public health campaigns have been doing this for years as they’ve found that negative messages can effectively promote urgent action.

One of the most prominent uses of negative statements in public health is in anti-smoking campaigns.

Phrases like "Smoking Kills" or "Cigarettes Cause Cancer" are stark, direct messages that aim to evoke a strong emotional response and make the serious risks of smoking unambiguously clear.

Motivation in Certain Situations

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this one.

It may be counterintuitive to some, but sometimes, negative feedback can motivate certain types of people more effectively than positive feedback.

High achievers, competitive personalities, those with a growth mindset, and people with high self-esteem may be more capable of processing negative feedback and using it as a catalyst for performance.

Michael Jordan was notorious for being motivated by this can of feedback.

There are even stoic processes like Fear Journaling that guide you to vividly picture failure and your fears to provide motivation.

Is This Myth Busted?

On the face of it, yes, the myth is busted.

While our initial emotional responses might lean towards the positive elements of a statement, our cognitive abilities are more than capable of understanding and processing negatives.

That being said, negations do require more cognitive effort and brain power, making positively framed information and feedback more effective in the vast majority of situations.

So, the next time you hear some self-help guru shouting about pink elephants, I hope you can approach the situation with some neuroscience on your side.

Remember, the world of neuroscience is always evolving, and staying informed is key to separating fact from fiction.

And until next time… Live Heroically! 🧠

Supporting Research

• Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–292.

• Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and Human Behavior. Macmillan.

• Wason, P. C. (1965). The contexts of plausible denial. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 4(1), 7-11.

• Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81-97.

• Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370.

• Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981). The Framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science, 211(4481), 453-458.

• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

• Vaughn, L. A., & Baumann, J. (2014). The Motivational Power of Negative Feedback. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 51, 216-219.

• Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., DeWall, C. N., & Zhang, L. (2007). How Emotion Shapes Behavior: Feedback, Anticipation, and Reflection, Rather Than Direct Causation. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11(2), 167–203.

• Ito, T. A., Larsen, J. T., Smith, N. K., & Cacioppo, J. T. (1998). Negative information weighs more heavily on the brain: The negativity bias in evaluative categorizations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(4), 887–900.

• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.