Contrary to popular opinion, there are plenty of positive stories about philanthropy. In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge became a viral sensation and raised millions for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). When calamity strikes, people respond to stories about relief efforts by giving generously. And on any evening, your local news station will likely end with a heartwarming story or promote the efforts of a nonprofit.
Then why does it seem that we face a relentless barrage of negative news? Is it just human nature to remember the bad over the good? Perhaps. Neuroscientific evidence shows that there is greater neural processing in the brain in response to negative stimuli. This might explain why we remember criticism more than compliments. It also explains why sensationalized or scandalous news registers more than feel-good stories. It’s what psychologists call negativity bias, and it is our tendency to not only register negative stimuli more readily but also to be affected by it.
TED Talk founder Chris Anderson noted the tendency to remember the bad over the good in his book, Infectious Generosity. The author explained we are conditioned to look for danger, so it makes sense that the dark things in life impact us more strongly than good things. As Anderson put it, “The scary and unpleasant trumps noble, hopeful and kind.”
Also, negativity plays into a time bias—good happens slowly, bad happens quickly. For instance, it might take a decade to construct a building, but it can be destroyed in a second. News outlets understand this time bias and focus on reporting the most dramatic thing that has happened in the last 24 hours. This practice skews toward stories that are alarming or provocative. Even social media platforms, perhaps originally designed to promote community and kinship, have turned the internet into, as Anderson puts it, an “outrage generating machine.”
So how do we escape this negativity vortex?
We can start today by seeking out positive news.
Anderson makes this easy for us. In Infectious Generosity, he lists several online resources that can uplift our spirits and restore our faith in humanity. Here are some of his recommended websites:
Progress Network: This website focuses on what could go right, and covers a wide range of topics, including the eradication of disease, harnessing people power, and the decline in poverty. I signed up for the Progress Newsletter, their self-described antidote to doomscrolling.
Positive.News: The site features international stories on conservation, the environment, society, along with a host of other topics. You can sign up for Positive News, a quarterly magazine.
Good News Network: There is plenty of content on this platform and you can customize according to your interests. I signed up for a “Morning Jolt of Good News”. Readers can get involved by submitting their own good news.
Solution Journalism Network: This site is focuses on how people are trying to solve problems and learn from their successes and failures. A core belief is that solutions journalism can rebalance the news.
Reasons to be Cheerful: David Byrnes (Talking Heads) created this platform. It reports on smart, replicable solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. It states that it is part magazine, part therapy, and part blueprint for a better world.
Upworthy: Their tagline is: “Delivering the best of humanity every day.” It’s one of my personal favorites. Many entertaining stories, like the value of creating a “to don’t” list.
Sunny Skyz: You can find many feel-good stories about humanity. It has a buzzy vibe and is relentlessly positive. I loved the memes and the section on jokes.
Yield Giving: McKenzie Scott’s website that catalogues her philanthropy. She also has shared a number of essays that provide insight into her philosophy of giving.
Greater Good Magazine: This is a personal favorite, and I think Chris Anderson would endorse it. Published by UC Berkeley, the magazine offers an array of well-researched articles on how to live a meaningful life, with lots of pop culture stories.
Anderson recommends we commit to checking one or some of these websites as frequently as we check our regular social media feeds and urges us to discover and promote those accounts. The author believes that an intentional focus on the positive could change how we see the world.
I love this philosophy and intend to take the Infectious Generosity author up on his challenge. For the next 30 days, I commit to visiting at least one of these websites each day. And when I find a story that truly inspires me, I’ll share it on one of my social media accounts. I invite others to do the same.
Anderson contends that there is a pathway to a more hopeful future. Perhaps it starts by leaning into the positive.
PS: While Chris Anderson offered some great online sources, please share if you have other suggestions for positive and inspirational news.