Hardwiring Happiness

You know, if you've been reading my blog, that I love to watch CBS' Sunday Mornings. Most times, there are segments that are beneficial to writers or anyone in the arts. This morning's was no exception. (see link below)

They had a segment regarding bad reviews. It fascinated me. They interviewed two movie critics and some people they had vilified. One actress, upon seeing the critic after a nasty review, dumped her plate of food all over his head. She vindicated herself.

The segment dealt with negativity and how one bad word or statement or critique could wipe away a thousand good ones in our minds. We are programmed to remember the bad, Dr. Hanson, neuropsychologist and author of 'Hardwiring Happiness', said, because our brains are still stone-age brains. We have to remember when bad things happen to us so we don't get eaten by carnivores. (see link below)

This gave me pause to laugh due to an incident I had while traveling with the dearest sister-friends imaginable in New Zealand. They constantly shouted warnings to me as I drove along the highways, side roads, and cliff-hanging dirt roads.They were afraid I was going to hit the inevitable bird sitting on the asphalt or dirt or whatever. I would giggle, for a time, until I got a touch testy. Why would they ever think I would hit a bird? Or for that matter, anything that was on the roadways? Turns out, they were right. The birds in New Zealand are not used to traffic. Some roads might get one or two cars on it in a week. Their home of Ireland is about the same.

The birds don't know better. They don't have the memory of sitting on the road being a bad thing.

In the United States, ALL the birds have great primeval memory. They know they'll get squashed flatter than a pancake if they sit on a road with a car/truck/bus coming. And they fly away long before the vehicle gets close. Our birds (USA birds) know traffic. They can't rest for a moment on a roadside.

To get back to negativity. The program brought to mind the times I've had critiques. I cannot tell you one good word that I heard during those critiques. I can tell you every bad word, phrase, sentence, nuance, feeling...... Arrrgggghhhh... Stupid primeval memory!

TV can mirror life. Just yesterday, at our Writers' Ink meeting, we talked about negativity and how terrible it can be and how impactful and life-altering.

Just another reason we have to fight to remain positive. Fight to hold onto the good things. Fight to support each other.

Life is primeval. *g*

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-the-brain-takes-criticism/

http://www.amazon.com/Hardwiring-Happiness-Science-Contentment-Confidence/dp/0385347316