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Cognitive Exploits

What is Negativity Bias?

Feeds surface alarming and upsetting news more often than positive news, because threatening information reliably holds human attention longer.

Where it comes from

Algorithmic News Feeds (2010s)

How it hooks you

Exploits negativity bias: the brain treats bad news as a potential threat and keeps scanning for more information, which keeps you scrolling.

How to resist it

Curate your feed deliberately and mute keywords that keep you in a stress loop.

Where you’ll run into it

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