Do you ever wonder why your brain always fixates on the worst case scenario?

Or are you frustrated with the constant catastrophic intrusive thoughts about how bad everything is?

That is the negativity bias at work and today we're exploring why your brain focuses on the worst case scenario and most importantly what we can do about it.

Today I'm speaking with Emma McAdams. She's a licensed marriage and family therapist and she's the creator of the most popular YouTube channel

therapy in a nutshell we're going to explore something that impacts us all negativity bias and

together we're going to do a deep dive into why the mind clings to the negative and how we can work

with our brains to create more balance and peace.

Welcome back to your anxiety toolkit. I'm Kimberly Quinlan. This podcast is your space to feel

understood, supported and equipped to navigate your anxiety and related struggles.

Let's dive in.

Welcome, Emma.

Hey, thank you so much for having me.

It's so fun to be with you.

Okay, Emma, let's get straight to it, because I know you've done some work on this before.

Why do our brains focus on the worst case scenario?

Ooh, I think it's really important to recognize that our brains are not designed, whether you

believe that's by God or by evolution. Our brains are not designed to make us happy. They're

designed to keep us alive. So if you think about our ancestors, if they were, let's just imagine 10,000 years ago,

our ancestors were out hunting and gathering, they're looking for food,

and they're in a field with thousands of ripe little berries, and that's a resource, that's a positive thing.

That's something that like brings a sense of satisfaction and tastes good, right? There's a

positive thing. And there's one saber tooth tiger in that field. What should their brain focus on?

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