Many of us have a tendency to focus more on negative experiences than positive or neutral ones. Researchers have consistently found that bad information is stronger than good information across many areas of our lives.
Research on “attentional bias” has found that those who experience certain disorders (like depression and anxiety disorders) tend to focus more on information consistent with negative mood or more quickly shift attention toward negative information (facial expressions, speech, visual or written material, etc).
Helping to counter this tendency may be why cognitive-behavioral therapies have shown such effectiveness. Recent lab-based research has also shown promise for some brief interventions (e.g., using game-like tasks like moving a joystick). These interventions train individuals to more easily and constructively shift focus away from negative information.
Research by Charlie Taylor and colleagues at UC San Diego has combined multiple strategies designed to enhance positive emotions and to help increase focus on positive aspects of our lives into one structured psychotherapy. Initial findings have shown great promise of this approach for treating depression and anxiety disorders. Follow-up studies are being conducted to further develop this approach for use in therapy settings.
Most all of us focus on the negative before other types of information. But a combination of existing and developing approaches are helping to build our therapist resources to help clients for whom strong attentional bias has come to greatly impact their lives. Stay tuned!
