Published On: January 18, 2023|2.1 min read|

How a 3:1 Ratio Mitigates Negativity Bias

Dr. Rick Hanson once said, “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones.” We are fearful beings by nature, and our ancestral circumstances cultivated our bias for negativity as a species. We were conditioned to focus on what could go wrong, or kill us, for more than 10,000 years. That’s a long time to hold onto patterns and limiting beliefs.

Unraveling 10,000 years of conditioning may hinge on a simple ratio – 3:1. Marcial Losada and Emily Heaphy studied both 5:1 and 3:1 (Heaphy, 2016), positive to negative feedback ratios. John Gottman wrote about the value of a 5:1 ratio in relationships, exposing how more negative to positive led to divorce. (Gottman, 2015). Much has been studied and written about this topic and the current consensus appears to support a minimum of three positive comments to one negative to create a net neutral space for the recipient of your feedback.

Therefore, if your intention is to convey that someone is doing well, you will need to beat the 3:1 ratio and strive for 4:1 or 5:1. Why is that? Because our innate conditioning causes us to focus on the negative more, accentuating its impact in our minds. We allow the positive comments to pass through our consciousness without fixating on them as we might the negative ones.

Think about it. How many positive comments can you recall from today? How many negative comments can you recall? Write them down. You are likely only contemplating those you heard from someone else, but your conscience is aware of the positive and negative things you tell yourself too.

A great ambassador of a work culture understands this and is intentional about routinely sharing positive input. They go out of their way to notice small, yet significant things, that contribute to the mission and values of the organization. These days, this could be a thumbs up, a callout on Slack, or a fist bump if you are in close proximity. Using your words is even better. Choosing words that tie back to how a positive observation connects to company values and/or mission enables the recipient to feel their connection to purpose. Your commitment to expressing gratitude for the contributions of others will help tip the ratio in favor of all of us releasing the negative bias that no longer serves us.