Re: how has our mind evolved to think negatively?

[Guest guest]

Hi :I believe the five times more negative than positive thoughts statement. My thoughts are definitely always on problems to solve and hopefully avoid. I especially do this with problems where it's already too late to take effective action. That's not a fun place to be.Right now, I woke up with thoughts on how much this knee surgery is going to cost me financially. I have insurance and can pay what is needed. But I'm just going around and around on the whether this or that will be covered and how I'm going to survive this. It's very painful to contemplate and this point, useless, too. Can other people really put aside worries like this and get into their lives? I think so and I seem to have lost the ability.Thanks,Bruce salaamz:-)i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run. Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our thoughts but don't necessarily create it as our feelings r under multiple sources of stimuli at any one time. Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's style, as, if the explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me. Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our expreinces,or judgeing ourselves based on the thought, or looking for evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings. A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank you:-)wasalaam:-)"" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their shoes." ~ a very pious intellectual

[Guest guest]

Look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_I_and_type_II_errorsType I error - crying wolf when there is not wolf is not at bad as type II error - failing to see the wolf when it is there.

But, we evolved to have positive emotions too.  Here is, I think, an excellent exclamation why we did http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broaden-and-build

Cheers!

 

salaamz:-)i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run.

Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our thoughts but don't necessarily create it as  our feelings r under multiple sources of stimuli at any one time. Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's  style, as, if the explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me.

Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our expreinces,or  judgeing ourselves  based on the thought, or looking for evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings.

A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank you:-)wasalaam:-) " " Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their

shoes. "   ~ a very pious intellectual

[Guest guest]

Sorry I meant explanation not exclamation!

Look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_I_and_type_II_errors

Type I error - crying wolf when there is not wolf is not at bad as type II error - failing to see the wolf when it is there.

But, we evolved to have positive emotions too.  Here is, I think, an excellent exclamation why we did http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broaden-and-build

Cheers!

 

salaamz:-)i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run.

Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our thoughts but don't necessarily create it as  our feelings r under multiple sources of stimuli at any one time. Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's  style, as, if the explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me.

Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our expreinces,or  judgeing ourselves  based on the thought, or looking for evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings.

A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank you:-)wasalaam:-) " " Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their

shoes. "   ~ a very pious intellectual

[Guest guest]

Hi russell:-)THANK YOU SO MUCH for ur links...i gotta ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun right now, but as soon as i am back i will surely check em out. I really appreciate, both the excellent exclamation and the explanation:-) just kiddin...:-)jazakallah khair once againwasalaam:-)-K Designs."" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their

shoes." ~ a very pious intellectualTo: ACT_for_the_Public From: bauer.russell@...Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 13:08:02 -0700Subject: Re: how has our mind evolved to think negatively?

Sorry I meant explanation not exclamation!

Look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_I_and_type_II_errors

Type I error - crying wolf when there is not wolf is not at bad as type II error - failing to see the wolf when it is there.

But, we evolved to have positive emotions too. Here is, I think, an excellent exclamation why we did http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broaden-and-build

Cheers!

[Guest guest]

Don't about the theory, but really like the words broaden and build! Add breathe

in there and you're good to go!

>

> > **

> >

> >

> > salaamz:-)

> > i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts.

> > And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind

> > generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a

> > thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work

> > in the long run.

> >

> > Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our

> > thoughts but don't necessarily create it as our feelings r under multiple

> > sources of stimuli at any one time.

> >

> > Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively,

> > i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's style, as, if the

> > explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me.

> >

> > Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our

> > expreinces,or judgeing ourselves based on the thought, or looking for

> > evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more

> > positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of

> > our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion'

> > that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings.

> >

> > A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to

> > understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair

> > (thank you:-)

> > wasalaam:-)

> >

> >

> > * " ** " Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their

> > shoes.

> > That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have

> > their shoes. "

> > * *~ a very pious intellectua*l

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi russell:-)thanks for the links, but bro u had me upto "the test requires an.." , totally lost me after that...I can't comprehend information when it is explained like that, but i DO APPRECIATE u sending me the links, thanks :-)I am looking for an answer like the kind Russ gave when he said our thoughts don't necessarily influence our feelings e.g. . if u suddenly c a snake, the

information would reach your amygdala and trigger a flight-or-fight

response in u even b4 ur celebral cortex could generate a thought

about it. SO I GOT IT!our mind has been evolved to think negatively. why? how?-K Designs."" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their

shoes." ~ a very pious intellectualTo: ACT_for_the_Public From: bauer.russell@...Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 13:08:02 -0700Subject: Re: how has our mind evolved to think negatively?

Sorry I meant explanation not exclamation!

Look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_I_and_type_II_errors

Type I error - crying wolf when there is not wolf is not at bad as type II error - failing to see the wolf when it is there.

But, we evolved to have positive emotions too. Here is, I think, an excellent exclamation why we did http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broaden-and-build

Cheers!

salaamz:-)i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run.

Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our thoughts but don't necessarily create it as our feelings r under multiple sources of stimuli at any one time. Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's style, as, if the explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me.

Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our expreinces,or judgeing ourselves based on the thought, or looking for evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings.

A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank you:-)wasalaam:-)"" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their

shoes." ~ a very pious intellectual

[Guest guest]

Hi and all:Maybe it's clearer if we say: "our mind has evolved to pay more attention to negative feelings than to positive ones."Which makes sense: if we miss one goody, well that's too bad. But if we miss one rattlesnake, well that's it!From there, for survival it makes sense to, when in doubt, see the negative, the risk rather than the occasion.Again because, missing one occasion may be a pity, but missing one serious risk can be lethal...This is why many people suggest to write something like a gratitude-diary, in order to consciously balance this evolutionary negative bias.Sending you five positive feelings, so that you pick at least one of them :-)Maarten

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > salaamz:-)> i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run. > > > > Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our thoughts but don't necessarily create it as our feelings r under multiple sources of stimuli at any one time. > > Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's style, as, if the explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me. > > > > Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our expreinces,or judgeing ourselves based on the thought, or looking for evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings. > > > > A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank you:-)> wasalaam:-)> > > "" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.> > That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their> shoes." > ~ a very pious intellectual>

[Guest guest]

Hi Marteen:-)THANKYOU for the explanation & simplifying it. That helps:-). Also, This is the first time i am hearing about a gratitude diary, both from u and simone. It is a WONDERFUL idea. jazakallah khairwasalaam:-)-K Designs."" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their

shoes." ~ a very pious intellectualTo: ACT_for_the_Public From: m.aalberse@...Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2011 12:14:02 +0000Subject: Re: how has our mind evolved to think negatively?

Hi and all:Maybe it's clearer if we say: "our mind has evolved to pay more attention to negative feelings than to positive ones."Which makes sense: if we miss one goody, well that's too bad. But if we miss one rattlesnake, well that's it!From there, for survival it makes sense to, when in doubt, see the negative, the risk rather than the occasion.Again because, missing one occasion may be a pity, but missing one serious risk can be lethal...This is why many people suggest to write something like a gratitude-diary, in order to consciously balance this evolutionary negative bias.Sending you five positive feelings, so that you pick at least one of them :-)Maarten

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > salaamz:-)> i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5 times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run. > > > > Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our thoughts but don't necessarily create it as our feelings r under multiple sources of stimuli at any one time. > > Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's style, as, if the explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me. > > > > Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our expreinces,or judgeing ourselves based on the thought, or looking for evidence to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed when experecining painful thoughts and feelings. > > > > A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank you:-)> wasalaam:-)> > > "" Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.> > That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have their> shoes." > ~ a very pious intellectual>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I've found a couple of articles on the Psychology Today website

(http://www.psychologytoday.com) that talk about how and why our emotional

circuits evolved to work the way they do and why they give us so much grief

today:

http://tinyurl.com/yewol22

http://tinyurl.com/89ky9lc

In case you don't know, has a blog on Psychology Today:

http://tinyurl.com/6vp2clf

-------------------

On a more personal note, I posted this on the forum way back in April 2007

before I retired (geez, have I been doing ACT that long?). Where I say I'm

sitting in a meeting, you could substitute public speaking. I've done some minor

editing to (hopefully) make it more readable.

" My amygdala, that little cluster of brain cells on sentry duty in my brain,

tends to be a bit hyperactive, and often gets me into a fight-or-flight state of

heightened anxiety and fear for no good reason. It's lightning fast, but not

very accurate, because it evolved millions of years ago to stop my ancestors

from being eaten.

" Here's my understanding of what happens when I experience fear or anxiety:

" I'm in a meeting at work for example, and for some reason my amygdala thinks

there's a threat, so it goes into danger mode. It redirects energy from

non-essential systems (such as digestion, reproductive behaviour and the immune

system) to where it's needed for fleeing from danger as fast as possible or

fighting for my life. Energy rushes into my muscles, priming them for action; my

skin becomes sweaty; chemicals flood into my bloodstream to

increase my heart rate; my lungs open up to get more oxygen into my system; and

my senses become sharpened and more alert.

" Whew! No wonder anxiety is so uncomfortable! Thanks to my amygdala, I'm sitting

in a meeting, and my heart is racing, my body feels tight, my skin is feeling

tingly and sweaty, my breathing is fast and shallow. I'm frantically looking at

the people around me in an effort to seek out and assess a possible threat to my

well-being.

" All this happens before the thinking part of my brain even knows what's going

on. It's extremely fast, as it's supposed to be, since it's quicker to fight or

run away than to work out a plan of action first (I could be eaten before I've

come up with one).

" But I'm in a meeting, and I can't run away or fight anyone, so what do I do?

" Fortunately, once I'm aware of what's happening, I can do something about it to

stop it spiraling out of control. I can get into the present moment by taking a

few deep breaths and noticing what's happening physically in my body. I can

watch my thoughts as they arise and defuse from them, so that they don't make

what are uncomfortable but transitory physical events worse by trying

desperately to get rid of them.

" I'm not sure if this is a defusion technique, but I sometimes say to myself

" There goes my amygdala, getting it wrong again " , but it does help me put all

the physical chaos I'm experiencing into perspective, so that I can more easily

accept the feelings while they're happening. "

Cheers,

Stan

>

>

> salaamz:-)

> i know that our mind naturally generates both positive and neg. thoughts. And

from Joaanne Dahls podcast, she mentioned something like our mind generates 5

times more neg. thoughts than positive. Hence challanging a thought, replacing

it with a more rational or logical thought, don't work in the long run.

>

> Russ in his podcast also mentioned that our feelings inflence our

thoughts but don't necessarily create it as our feelings r under multiple

sources of stimuli at any one time.

>

> Dr. also mentioned our minds have been evolved to think negatively, i

would like to know how? if possible, in Russ 's style, as, if the

explanation getz too didactic (too scientific) u might lose me.

>

> Beating ourselves up over neg. thoughts that pop up, or evaluating our

expreinces,or judgeing ourselves based on the thought, or looking for evidence

to prove a neg. thought wrong, and replacing it with a more positve one, ALL

these , in my perspective, take us away from acceptance of our private

expreinces as they r, and cultivating that 'self-compassion' that is so needed

when experecining painful thoughts and feelings.

>

> A better understanding of how our mind functions would help us try to

understand ourselves better. Hence i would like to know. jazakallah khair (thank

you:-)

> wasalaam:-)

>

>

> " " Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

>

> That way, when you criticize them, you're already a mile away AND you have

their

> shoes. "

> ~ a very pious intellectual

>