69 Posts That Show Just How Strange And Horrible The World Has Become

Being a cynic might sound wise, but it is anything but. Universal cynicism harms your social relationships and can hurt your physical and mental health.

One of the things that helps you cope with the sad situation in society is realizing that we, human beings, are fundamentally hardwired for negativity.

When you understand this, you can take a step back and try to look at things more objectively: yes, horrendous things are happening in the world, but that is not the full picture, and we are not powerless to make the world a better place.

In brief, negativity bias is our tendency to focus on bad events more than good ones. And this is what helped our ancestors survive.

Negativity bias is actually the reason why someone criticizing you hurts more than the happiness you feel when you get a compliment. One negative experience can derail an otherwise good day.

What’s more, people tend to base many of their decisions on what they would rather not lose, rather than what they stand to gain, Verywell Mind explains.

Negativity bias is the reason why we notice and remember negative experiences much more than positive ones. It is also the reason why traumas affect people for such a long time after the event.

Though unpleasant and inconvenient in the modern world, negativity bias is likely what helped our ancestors survive and thrive. In short, people who were more attuned to potential dangers and threats were more likely to survive and pass on their genes. In other words, your brain focuses on negative events as a way to try to keep you safe. Or, well, safer.

The downside of negativity bias is that it forces many people to be constantly on alert for danger pretty much everywhere: at work, in their community, around the world, in their relationships, etc.

For example, this bias can make you suspicious of other people, including those closest to you. In other words, you expect the worst from other human beings, even if they are kind, caring, and do their best.

“Because it takes more for positive experiences to be remembered, it is important to give extra attention to good things that happen. Where negative things might be quickly transferred and stored in your long-term memory, you need to make more of an effort to get the same effect from happy moments. So when something great happens, take a moment to really focus on it. Replay the moment several times in your memory and focus on the wonderful feelings the memory evokes,” Verywell Mind suggests.

Of course, overcoming what you’re hardwired to do is no easy feat. Negativity bias won’t ever fully go away. Nor will you significantly shift your mindset overnight. It will take weeks and months of effort to consciously remind yourself that the world is more nuanced, not just a dystopian hellscape.

That’s not to say that you should ignore serious problems (they need to be addressed), but if you constantly live with chronic stress, feeling overwhelmed, your mental health will suffer.

If you constantly dwell on dark thoughts, find it tough to be optimistic, and your relationships with your loved ones are suffering, something needs to change.

One thing that you can do is limit negative self-talk and increase the amount of positive self-talk. The idea here is to shift how you view events and experiences, and reframe them in a more positive light.

“This doesn’t mean ignoring potential dangers or wearing rose-colored glasses—it simply means refocusing so that you give fair and equal weight to good events,” Verywell Mind stresses.

Another strategy that you can employ is to change your behavior patterns by redirecting your attention elsewhere. For instance, if you are ruminating on unpleasant things, actively try to distract yourself with something enjoyable or redirect your thoughts elsewhere.

As simple and cheesy as it sounds, try going for a walk, reading a quality book, or putting on some good music.

Again, the issue is not that you’re recognizing very real, serious challenges in your social circle, local community, and around the world. The problem is that you constantly think about these issues, which hurts your mental health and relationships.

At the end of the day, remember that it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. If you’re struggling with anxiety, stress, negativity, cynicism, and the like, reach out to your family and friends for support. Meanwhile, get in touch with a therapist so that they can guide you in reframing your experiences in a way that empowers you and makes you more resilient.

Currently, the ‘I quit my job by text’ Facebook page boasts 121k followers. At this point in time, the project primarily shares social commentary from all over social media about the dystopian state of the world.

However, earlier, the page used to focus on workplace, management, and job-related toxicity content. It was a “safe space to share that final message to your boss.”

Once you’ve looked through these posts, we’d like to hand the conversation over to you.

What is your personal perspective on the current state of the world? Are you cynical, exhausted, scared, powerless, and overwhelmed? Maybe you’re determined, optimistic, hopeful, and feeling empowered? Or maybe you’re feeling a mix of all of those things?

What do you think the biggest problems affecting the world and society are right now, and what can realistically be done to solve them? What are you doing to make your local community better and stronger? Let us know in the comments.