Every so often, you encounter academic research that snaps into place a whole bunch of tensions, issues, and problems that you’ve noticed but haven’t been able to understand. That happened to me when I read a new book called The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. The authors of the book, renowned research psychologist Roy F. Baumeister and award-winning journalist John Tierney, offer lessons from social science about life, love, parenting, even politics.
Don’t Let Negativity Sink Your Organization
People are wired to see the negative more than the positive.
February 17, 2020
Summary.
We humans are wired in such a way that there is a “universal tendency for negative events and emotions to affect us more strongly than positive ones.” We are “devastated by a word of criticism” but “unmoved by a shower of praise.” We “see the hostile face in the crowd” but “miss all the friendly smiles.” These quotes are from renowned research psychologist Roy F. Baumeister and award-winning journalist John Tierney’s book, The Power of Bad. The author shares how this book provided eye-opening insights into a set of questions about business and leadership that he’s been wrestling with for years — questions that get to the heart of why so many organizations find it so difficult to transform themselves despite the best of intentions.
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New!
HBR Learning
Leading People Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.