Evolutionary biologists know why humans spend disproportionate energy on negative thoughts compared to positive: Teasing out threats, real or perceived, is a basic tool of survival.
Three a.m. isn’t the only time negative thoughts seize us. Even when we’re at ease, evolutionary instincts cause us to seek out whiffs of threat, real or imagined. Commonly called the human "negativity bias," we train our mental energy on perceived danger, releasing cortisol and triggering flight or fight instincts that have served mammals from the beginning.
Donald Trump is a master of manipulating people with negativity and fear. He built a naked tribalism movement on us vs. them vitriol, with immigration, crime, race, and “vermin” of different political views topping his greatest hits. His running mate JD Vance’s negative divisiveness is next level: Hillbilly vs. Silicon Valley, parent vs. childless, cat ladies vs. those with a proper stake in democracy. Almost overnight, Vance served up new antagonisms between voter categories we didn’t even know existed.
Negativity Sells. It also kills.
Stewing in frustration over Kamala Harris’ meteoric rise, Trump can hardly restrain his jealousy. In a revolting pique of petty, confirming that he would destroy America for his own personal gain, Trump insulted American hostages’ release from Russia, praising Putin instead. He then drooled giddy when the stock market tanked last week, clucking, “TRUMP CASH vs. KAMALA CRASH!” but was silent when the market rebounded.
Trump/Vance obviously understand that negativity sells, they recognize fear in particular as our most primal and powerful motivator. But too many years in the Trump hate machine, amplified by Fox News and similar propaganda, is also making people sick. Not only do negative thoughts lead to aggression and war, but compulsive or repeated negativity makes people physically ill.
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It’s fairly well known that Trump supporters are more likely to die of COVID and gun-related homicides than the general population; less known is that negative thoughts create neural pathways in the brain that lead to illnesses too. Grievance politics in general may be killing its own adherents, as researchers have shown a gap in mortality rates between Republican and Democratic counties in nine out of 10 causes of death.
Even setting aside COVID deaths, American mortality rates differ by politics across the board, leading one researcher to conclude that “Political environment is a core determinant of health.” The Marquee Medical team explains that “people with high levels of negativity are more likely to suffer from degenerative brain diseases, cardiovascular problems, digestive issues, and (they) recover from sickness much slower than those with a positive mindset.”
It’s more than a theory. Neural pathways caused by nonstop exposure to Trump’s repetitive, negative thoughts can be detected physically, as most features of neural circuits can be visualized with magnetic resonance imaging.
Happy Warriors Harris and Walz to the rescue
The outpouring of enthusiasm for Kamala Harris and America’s dad Tim Walz suggests voters have grown tired of political negativity. As vice president, Harris faced relentless Republican criticism over her laugh, spun as unserious and intellectually weak. But now that she is in command, her intellect has become irrefutable, allowing her to embrace her laughter and smile often at the podium.
Anyone who missed Harris-Walz’ first rally together should treat themselves and watch it. It was a joyful, positive event. Even when Walz delivered his obligatory zingers about Trump and Vance, he did it with humor and without nastiness.
When he pointed out that crime was up under Trump, he added, laughing, “That's not even counting the crimes he committed!” On Trump’s abortion and culture wars, he delivered a plain spoken message: “In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn’t make the same choices for ourselves, there’s a golden rule: Mind your own damn business.”
Joy, common sense and positivity have emerged as Harris/Walz superpowers.
Rolling in the vibe shift
The contrast between Trump/Vance vitriol and Harris/Walz joy seems to be resonating with voters. Partly, it’s relief. Our political discourse has been poisoned with Trump’s hate-filled spittle for nearly a decade. We have watched Trump bully so many people that watching Harris/ Walz laugh at him delivers a catharsis. Everyone likes to see a bully get his comeuppance, seeing him get laughed at is a special treat. When the laughter comes from his would-be victim- eg, the one he tries hardest to dominate and bully— it’s delicious.
Walz first tapped the psychological power of calling Trump/Vance “weird” instead of dangerous. The terms aren’t mutually exclusive, but, Walz intuits, repeatedly warning about how Trump threatens our 250-year-old democracy gives him too much power. Walz advised, “Don’t lift these guys up like they’re some kind of heroes. Everybody in this room knows—I know it as a teacher—a bully has no self-confidence. A bully has no strength. They have nothing.”
Not only does worrying about Trump’s Hitler parallels strengthen him, but having Walz defang “socialist” as free lunches for poor students so they can learn and stay off the streets already just feels right. It feels like the homespun truth America has been waiting for.
Walz said early, in his first rally with Harris, “Thank you, Madam Vice President, for the trust you put in me, but maybe more so, thank you for bringing back the joy.”Optimism for America’s future, personal freedom, and yes, joy, are new welcome strangers in the public square.
Like most unhealthy habits in life, negative thoughts can become addictive and can kill you. The good news is, this particular addiction can be broken. It’s been said that it takes 21 days to truly break a habit. We have almost 90 days.
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