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Deepak Srinivas's avatar

I believe a significant reason why we are thrifty with praise is because of our negativity bias - we are wired to notice the negative more than the positive because it increases our chance of survival in a world full of threats. While this speaks more to the quantity than quality of positive feedback, I think the same mechanism may be at play here - we notice more details when we feel threatened, than when we are in a normal state.

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Richard Brisebois's avatar

Thank you for your comment, Deepak. I understand that perceiving a threat generates hyperalertness. I don't have any research on the "wiring" you mention. Feel free to share.

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Deepak Srinivas's avatar

Please ignore. I was just trying to make sense in my own way - no citations to share.

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