“Bad is stronger than good”

Roy Baumeister wrote in his article “Bad Is Stronger Than Good”, the greater power of
bad events over good ones is found in everyday events, major life events, close relationship
outcomes, social network patterns, interpersonal interactions, and learning processes. Bad
emotions, bad parents, and bad feedback have more impact than good ones, and bad
information is processed more thoroughly than good. Bad impressions and bad stereotypes
are quicker to form and more resistant to disconfirmation than good ones. Various
explanations such as diagnosticity and salience help explain some findings, but the greater
power of bad events is still found when such variables are controlled. Hardly any exceptions
can be found. Taken together, these findings suggest that bad is stronger than good, as
general principle across a broad range of psychological phenomena.
It is supposed that negative events, will have a greater impact on the individual than
positive events. This is not to say that bad will always triumph over good. Rather, good may
prevail over bad by superior force of numbers: Many good events can overcome the
psychological effects of a single bad one. When equal measures of good and bad are present,
however, the psychological effects of bad ones outweigh those of the good ones. In general,
and apart from a few carefully crafted exceptions, negative information receives more
processing and contributes more strongly to the final impression than does positive
information. Learning something bad about a new acquaintance carries more weight than
learning something good, by and large.
If you have lost your temper at work, you’ll need to approach the situation with
humility and intention. The first step in dealing with this situation is to take an honest look at
yourself. Acknowledge what happened and express your interest in making corrections. Be
sincere in admitting that your behavior was wrong. Explain what you’re going to do to make up
for it. Also, try to figure out what triggered your blow up to reduce the odds of losing your
temper in the future. To rehabilitate your reputation, it is important to build a good relationship
with others.