왜 사람은 부정적인 기억을 더 오래, 더 선명하게 기억할까: 부정적 편향의 심리학

좋은 일보다 나쁜 일이 더 오래 남는 이유

하루 종일 여러 번 칭찬을 받아도 머릿속에 남는 부정적인 말은 한 번도 들어본 적이 없어요. 즐거운 여행의 추억보다 더 선명하게 떠오르는 사소한 불쾌한 사건이나 성공적인 발표보다 더 작은 실수도 마찬가지입니다. 흥미로운 것은 이 현상이 특정 인격의 문제가 아니라는 사실입니다. 대부분의 사람은 부정적인 경험을 의식하지 않고 더 강하고 더 오래 기억하도록 설계되어 있습니다. 심리학에서는 이것을 '협상 편향'이라고 부릅니다. 흠집 내기 바이어스는 네거티브 정보에 더 주의를 기울여 더 깊이 있게 처리하고, 긍정적인 정보보다 더 오래 기억하는 인지 경향을 말합니다. 이러한 편견은 우리의 감정, 판단, 인간관계, 자기 인식에 광범위한 영향을 미치고 우리의 일상적인 사고방식을 이해하는 데 중요한 단서를 제공합니다.

 

왜 사람은 부정적인 기억을 더 오래, 더 선명하게 기억할까: 부정적 편향의 심리학

1. 부정적 편향(네거티브 바이어스) 형성 방법

부정적 편향(네거티브 바이어스)의 기원은 인간의 진화 과정에도 깊이 관련되어 있습니다. 원시적인 환경에서 생존을 위협하는 요인을 신속하게 인식하지 못하면 치명적인 결과를 초래할 수 있습니다. 한편, 긍정적인 사건을 놓치는 것은 비교적 위험하지 않았습니다. 이러한 환경에서 인간의 뇌는 위험, 위협, 실패 등의 부정적인 정보에 더 민감하도록 발달했습니다. 심리적으로 부정적인 자극은 강한 주의를 끌고 즉각적인 행동 변화를 일으킵니다. 실제 연구에서도 부정적인 정보는 긍정적인 정보보다 빠르게 지각되고, 더 깊이 처리되며, 기억에 오래 저장되는 경향이 있습니다. 이는 부정적 편향(네거티브 바이어스)가 단순한 감정적인 문제가 아니라 생존을 위해 형성된 인지 메커니즘임을 보여줍니다.

2. 기억력과 감정의 결합

기억과 감정의 강한 조합은 부정적인 기억이 오래 지속되는 이유입니다. 부정적인 경험은 불안, 공포, 수치심과 같은 강한 감정을 동반하는 경우가 많아 기억을 더 선명하게 합니다. 뇌는 감정적으로 중요한 사건을 보존하는 것을 우선시하는 경향이 있고, 부정적인 사건 자체가 매우 중요합니다. 반면 긍정적인 경험은 감정적인 강도가 상대적으로 낮거나 반복적이기 때문에 특별한 기억으로 저장되지 않는 경우가 많습니다. 이는 사람들이 실제보다 더 부정적인 경험을 했다고 느끼거나 자신의 삶을 비관적으로 평가하도록 이끌 겁니다. 부정적 편향(네거티브 바이어스)는 기억의 왜곡을 통해 현재의 감정 상태나 미래에 대한 기대에 영향을 줍니다.

3. 일상생활과 인간관계에서의 부정적인 편견

부정적인 편견은 인간관계에도 강하게 작용합니다. 그렇기 때문에 하나의 실망스러운 행동이 인간관계의 신뢰를 파괴하는 것입니다. 관계에서 받은 여러 긍정적인 행동보다 한 번의 실망스러운 행동이 신뢰를 무너뜨리는 이유도 여기에 있습니다. 직장이나 학교에서도 마찬가지로, 반복된 칭찬보다 한 번의 지적이 더 오래 기억됩니다. 이는 사람들이 타인을 평가할 때도 부정적인 정보에 더 큰 비중을 두도록 만듭니다. 또한 뉴스나 온라인 콘텐츠에서 부정적인 소식이 더 강한 주목을 받는 이유 역시 부정성 편향과 관련이 있습니다. 이러한 경향은 개인의 감정 건강에 부담을 주기도 하며, 세상을 실제보다 더 위협적이고 부정적으로 인식하게 만들 수 있습니다.

4. 부정적인 편견을 이해하고 균형을 회복하려면 어떻게 해야 합니까

부정적 편향(네거티브 바이어스) 을 없애는 것은 현실적으로 불가능하지만, 이를 인식하는 것만으로도 사고의 균형을 회복할 수 있습니다. 부정적인 기억이 떠오를 때 그것이 실제보다 과장되어 있을 가능성을 고려해 보는 것이 도움이 됩니다. 또한 의식적으로 긍정적인 경험을 기록하거나 되새기는 습관은 기억의 편향을 완화하는 데 효과적입니다. 중요한 점은 부정적인 기억을 억지로 없애려 하기보다, 그것이 인간의 자연스러운 특성임을 이해하는 것입니다. 부정성 편향은 인간을 보호하기 위해 존재하지만, 현대 사회에서는 과도한 불안과 자기비판으로 이어질 수 있습니다. 이를 이해하는 순간, 우리는 기억과 감정에 덜 휘둘리고 보다 현실적인 시각으로 자신과 세상을 바라볼 수 있게 됩니다.

5. 부정적인 편견이  집단과 사회로 확장될 때

부정적 편향(네거티브 바이어스)은 개인의 기억이나 감정뿐만 아니라 집단이나 사회 전반에 대한 인식에도 영향을 미칩니다. 사람들은 주변 사람들이 부정적인 반응을 보이거나 불안해하는 모습을 볼 때, 그 상황을 실제보다 더 위험하거나 심각하게 인식하는 경향이 있습니다. 이는 부정적인 정보가 빠르게 공유되고 증폭되는 환경에서 더욱 강하게 나타납니다. 개인은 스스로 판단하고 있다고 느끼지만, 사실은 다수의 반응을 단서로 삼아 자신의 감정과 판단을 조정하고 있습니다. 특히 상황이 불확실할수록 사람들은 타인의 행동이나 태도를 참고할 가능성이 높아집니다. 이 과정에서 부정적인 감정이 집단적으로 강화되고 개인의 판단은 점점 더 많은 방향으로 수렴됩니다. 

 

그렇다면 여기서 한 가지 질문이 떠오릅니다. 

 

왜 사람들은 이렇게 많은 판단과 행동을 쉽게 따르는 걸까요? 우리는 정말 스스로 생각하고 선택을 할까요? 아니면 무의식적으로 그룹의 선택에 동조하고 있는 것일까요?

 

다음 포스팅에 이어서 이야기 하겠습니다!

 

Why Do People Remember Negative Memories Longer, clearer: The Psychology of Negative Bias

 

The reason why bad things last longer than good things
I've never heard a negative word that sticks in my head even though I've been praised multiple times throughout the day. So have minor unpleasant events that come to mind more clearly than memories of pleasant travel, or mistakes that are smaller than successful presentations. What's interesting is the fact that this phenomenon is not a matter of a particular personality. Most people are designed to remember negative experiences stronger and longer without being conscious. In psychology, this is called a 'negotiation bias'. A scratch bias is a cognitive tendency to pay more attention to negative information, process it deeper, and remember it longer than positive information. This bias has far-reaching implications for our feelings, judgments, human relationships, self-awareness and provides important clues to understanding our everyday mindset.

 

1. How to form a negative bias (negative bias)
The origin of negative biases (negative biases) is also deeply involved in human evolution. Failure to quickly recognize the factors that threaten survival in a primitive environment can lead to fatal consequences. Meanwhile, missing positive events was relatively non-risk. In these environments, the human brain has developed to be more sensitive to negative information such as risk, threat, and failure. Psychologically negative stimuli attract strong attention and cause immediate behavioral changes. Even in real-world studies, negative information tends to be perceived faster, processed deeper, and stored longer in memory than positive information. This shows that negative biases (negative biases) are not just emotional problems but cognitive mechanisms formed for survival.

2. a combination of memory and emotion
A strong combination of memory and emotion is why negative memories last longer. Negative experiences are often accompanied by strong emotions, such as anxiety, fear, and shame, which make memories clearer. The brain tends to prioritize preserving emotionally important events, and negative events themselves are very important. On the other hand, positive experiences are often not stored as special memories because of their relatively low or repetitive emotional intensity. This will lead people to feel that they have had more negative experiences than they really are, or to rate their lives pessimistically. Negative bias (negative bias) affects the current emotional state or expectations for the future through memory distortion.

3. negative bias in daily life and human relationships
Negative bias also strongly affects relationships. That is why one disappointing action destroys trust in relationships. This is why one disappointing action destroys trust, rather than many positive actions received in a relationship. Likewise, one point is remembered longer than repeated compliments at work or school. This makes people place more weight on negative information when evaluating others. It is also related to negative bias, which is why negative news gets more attention in news or online content. This tendency also puts a strain on one's emotional health, which can make the world perceive the world more threatening and negative than it really is.

4. How can I understand negative bias and restore balance
It is practically impossible to eliminate negative biases, but just recognizing them can restore the balance of thinking. When a negative memory comes to mind, it is helpful to consider the possibility that it is exaggerated than it really is. Also, the habit of consciously recording or reflecting on positive experiences is effective in alleviating memory bias. The important point is to understand that it is a natural human characteristic, rather than trying to force away negative memories. Negative biases exist to protect humans, but they can lead to excessive anxiety and self-criticism in modern society. The moment we understand this, we are less swayed by memories and emotions and can look at ourselves and the world from a more realistic perspective.

5. When negative bias extends to groups and societies
Negative bias (negative bias) affects not only an individual's memory and emotions, but also their perception of a group or society as a whole. People tend to perceive situations more dangerously or seriously than they really are, when they see people around them react negatively or feel anxious. This is stronger in environments where negative information is quickly shared and amplified. Individuals feel that they are judging themselves, but in fact, they are adjusting their emotions and judgments using multiple reactions as clues. In particular, the more uncertain the situation is, the more likely people are to refer to other people's actions or attitudes. In this process, negative emotions are collectively strengthened, and individual judgments converge in more and more directions.

 

Then one question comes to mind here.

Why do people follow so many judgments and actions so easily? Do we really think for ourselves and make choices? Or are we unconsciously in tune with our group's choices?

I'll continue with the next post!