Nearly every news report reminds us of the bad news about COVID-19. As of May 3, Johns Hopkins stated there were 3.45 million confirmed cases world-wide, 1.4M cases in the US. Total deaths due to Covid-19 world-wide were 244K with 67K in the U.S. The CDC said there were 3M cases worldwide, 1M cases in the US, 230K deaths worldwide and 64K deaths in the US. The World Health organization gives their version of statistics at 3.3M cases worldwide and 220K deaths. There is a big discrepancy no matter where you go for your info. It really doesn’t matter. The reports have been proven to be subjective and inaccurate, yet we look for those statistics. And when we find them, we make a mental note. We believe them. AND IT'S BAD NEWS.
Here are a few scary headlines from the media:
What the next wave of infection will look like.
The faces of the dead.
US food processing plants become COVID-19 hot spots.
Study: Many asymptomatic COVID-19 cases undetected.
Trump adds confusion on COVID-19 treatments as US deaths top 50,000.
But where is the good news? Did you look for it in the statistics or headlines I gave? Chances are you didn’t notice that the recovery rate from COVID-19 of better than 98% was missing. So were headlines like these:
What countries like New Zealand did right.
How South Korea beat COVID-19.
The US is opening up some states for business.
Dr. Fauci reports promising results from experimental drugs.
Why we pay attention to bad news
First, we have to recognize that all humans have a negativity bias built into their brains. It helped us survive throughout evolutionary history by focusing our attention on potentially life-threatening dangers. Psychologist Rick Hanson, Ph.D. summarizes this inherent brain bias saying, “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.”
Psychologists John Tierney, Ph.D. and Roy F. Baumeister, Ph.D., describe the impacts of our negative perceptions on our relationships. In their book The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, they tell us, “The negativity effect destroys reputations and bankrupts companies. It promotes tribalism and xenophobia. It spreads bogus scares that have left Americans angrier and Zambians hungrier. It ignites moral panics among both liberals and conservatives. It poisons politics and elects demagogues.”
The first step in seeing the good news is to recognize that our brains are looking at the world through a negativity filter that colors everything we see. Second, we have to recognize that what we are getting from mainstream media and politics plays on our negativity, fears, and biases. Third, we need to recognize that fear sells. And in a culture that is focused on increasing wealth for the top 1%, we can be sure that even something as serious as a worldwide pandemic will bring out the merchants of commerce who will play on our fears to sell ad space, miracle cures, a plethora of virus test kits, unproven drugs, masks of every description, cleaning products and even toilet paper.
Wherever you get your news, you will likely find the negative information easily, while the positive information — like the near 100% recovery rates or that 80% of people who contract COVID-19 do so with mild or no symptoms — is minimized or nowhere at all. And even now as you read what I am writing, I can almost hear your brain screaming things like, “This is serious! People are dying! Our economy is crashing!”…And I do not deny any of it. People are dying. Our economy is crashing. This is serious. I am simply making a point that in this pandemic, just like in our daily lives and relationships, we seek and hold onto the negative and pay little attention to the positive. In this way, we’re fed that information which we will remember and believe...the Negative. Know this: what we seek, we create for our future.
To continue to accept and live helplessly in our negativity bias does not serve us as modern humans. We cannot expect to hold onto a paradigm that has far out-lived its usefulness and expect happiness as a result.
How many of you dare to believe the very real Headline:
“95% of Those Infected With COVID-19 Do Not Develop Life-Threatening Illness.”
Dr. David Katz’ (New York Times) findings may be the most important good news we need to hear. “More and more data are telling us that COVID-19 is two completely different diseases in different populations...It is severe and potentially lethal to the old, the chronically ill and those with pre-existing conditions. It is, however, rarely life-threatening, often mild — and often even asymptomatic — among those under 50 or 60 in generally good health.”
Of course, people who are over 50 and/or have chronic health problems need to be aware of the significant risk they face in COVID-19. We all need to take steps to better our health, improve our immune function, and protect ourselves and others from becoming infected. My point is that you can be cautious and smart without operating from fear.
Retrain your brain to find the good
Good news is everywhere. There is more of it every day. You just need to understand that the human brain is hardwired for the negative, and discipline yourself to pay attention to what you are paying attention to.
I challenge you to spend just one hour today looking for good news. Notice how often the negative creeps in and notice how often your mind will tend to negate or take objection to the good, latching firmly onto the bad. Don’t punish yourself for it. Instead, use this valuable information to actively and consciously decide what serves you as a human living in the 21st century and what doesn’t.
Be thankful for the hard wiring that insured our survival when we were new to the planet and Mother Nature’s job was to challenge us at every turn. And although we will still face challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, our relationship with Mother Nature has changed. We no longer need to fight for our very survival — instead we need to learn to adapt and flourish.
I’m Coach Katelyn, and I specialize in helping people recognize and correct negative patterns in their life. If this feels like you or someone close to you, please comment below, email me with your story or contact me for an appointment.