The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness

by Jonas Salzgeber

And today, we still have these same brains—constantly checking if what’s happening around us is dangerous. Because of our evolution, we see obstacles much better than opportunities. It’s in our nature to worry about health, wealth, and social status. It seems we need those for survival. Therefore, we automatically compare ourselves to others, focus on possible dangers, and chase more and more stuff. So don’t worry if you think you’re always negative, that’s normal. That’s just the built-in negativity bias of our brain. However, that’s highly counterproductive in the modern world as, after all, we’re very safe and have enough food—therefore, survival can be ticked off for the most part. Nothing is going to attack you at night, and no rival clan will burn down your hut. The point is, these negative emotions get in the way and we must try to minimize them and the effects they have on our lives. Let’s now look at the two main reasons why we get overwhelmed by negative emotions.