Last week we talked about negativity bias.
This week we bring the stats. Ready for a pop quiz?

Most people complain how many times per hour of conversation?
The Survey says!
60. (That’s once per minute.)

Are positive people more or less likely to have a heart attack or coronary event?
The Survey says!
13% less likely.

Our Take:

Turn on the news or scroll Instagram, and you dip your toe into an ocean of chaos.
And when chaos is the backdrop, complaining feels justified.

But we’re not breaking news when we say: being a complainer, or being around one, is unfun. (Which ironically is a fun word to say.)

Complaining wires the brain to focus on negatives and release more cortisol (the stress hormone).

So be a gleeful, smiling baboon.
No. That’s not good either.

You’ve gotta be you, and we at the LLF (Light Letter Factory) are never going to tell you how to feel. We don’t even know how to feel.

What we will do is give you one quick practice. One that’s easier than all the rest.

A Quick Practice:

Shawn Achor, positive psychologist, suggests doing one simple thing that forces you to think positively in the morning.

You could choose any number of positivity rituals, but we particularly like this one:
Make the first message you send every morning a grateful one. (email, text, tweet, letter, DM, you name it)
You’d be amazed at the positive effects it has on your mood, your productivity, and your friendships.

You could, for instance, respond to this email with gratitude… No, we’re kidding, that would be forced and we wouldn’t even appreciate it.

Shawn Achor gave a hilarious and insightful Ted Talk on this topic.
Watch the video if you haven’t already. It’s worth it.

Until next time,

Live your light.