The negativity bias
Unfortunately, the human brain is wired to be more negative than it is positive. Many things have changed since the days of our hunter-gatherer ancestors but the human brain and the way the nervous system works is exactly the same.
We are wired to be more alert to the things that could go wrong than we are the things that could go right. In a survival situation, it’s far better to avoid the bad (being eaten or killed), than it is to seek the good (getting food). We can go another day hungry, but being killed by a large predator is final.
Despite being far less dependent on our negative thoughts to protect us from danger in today’s world, our minds still have the same negative bias.
In 2005, the National Science Foundation published a study claiming that the average person has about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% could be considered “negative”.
Most negative thoughts are unhelpful
In another interesting study (Leahy, 2005, Study of Cornell University), researchers found that:
1) 85% of what we worry about never happens, and 2) of the 15% of the worries that did happen, 79% of the subjects said that the “negative” experience they were worried about went a lot better than they expected, or that it taught them a valuable lesson.
The conclusion is that 97% of our negative thoughts are unfounded, pessimistic and unhelpful.
So how do we make sure we don’t get sucked into these unhelpful negative thoughts and prevent them from becoming feelings, emotions and limiting our performance? Let’s take a look at 5 techniques:
Know your negative thinking patterns
“Winner’s have got to know themselves intimately.” – Dennis Waitley, Author of “The Psychology of Winning”
Before we start to think of the solutions, we need to identify the problem. What are your negative thoughts? When do you have them? Are they valid? Is your worry caused of lack of preparation?
When I start working with a new student, they take a mental game assessment and do some “Self Discovery”. In order to improve (mentally and physically) a player must reflect and know what their current limitations are. Knowing your negative thinking patterns will tell you what to look out for and what you need to change.
Develop Awareness
If you’re able to observe your thoughts from a distance, you can prevent them from getting bigger and becoming feelings and emotions. You can learn how to be less reactive and impulsive, and more proactive and responsive.
The greater our awareness, the more we can keep the mind still.
Practices such as Mindfulness, help you take a step back from your thoughts and choose the direction your mind goes in.
The Wikipedia definition of “Mindfulness” is:
“a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”
Mindfulness is a way to change our relationship with our thoughts, so instead of accepting them as real, or “facts”, we develop the ability to simply watch them come and go. We achieve this by developing a “greater awareness of our attention”.
Without awareness, we are powerless to whatever thoughts happen to enter our consciousness. Too often we aren’t aware that we are engaging in negative thinking patterns and we just follow them instinctively.
With awareness, we can observe thoughts from a distance, and choose how we would like to respond to them (letting most of them disappear), instead of giving them the power to become worry and anxiety.
When we can create freedom from our thoughts, we can (more easily) focus on what’s most important and access our best skills more freely.
Research on the effects of mindfulness on the brain are very compelling:
MRI scans show that after an eight-week course of mindfulness practice, the brain’s “fight or flight” center, the amygdala, appears to shrink…The connection between the amygdala and the rest of the brain gets weaker, while the connections between areas associated with attention and concentration gets stronger (source: Scientific American)
In the Golf State of Mind Training Program, Module 4 covers Mindfulness and Meditation, and how to introduce it into your daily practice to increase focus and awareness of your thinking.
Reframe Your Negative Thoughts
Reframing your negative thoughts, or “cognitive distortions” to make them more positive and realistic is a fundamental part of a psychological technique called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Once you’ve identified some of your negative thinking patterns, you can decide how to reframe them. When they occur, you can shift your focus to a more accurate, helpful thought.
An example would be worrying about an upcoming tournament or what people will think about your score. The worry mostly likely comes from fear of what the possible negative outcome could be. When you notice this thinking pattern, you say the word “Stop!” and see if you can come up with a neutral or positive replacement. Having a rubber band on your wrist and snapping it each time you engage in one of your negative thinking patterns can also be effective.
Divide a piece of paper into 2 columns. In the first column, write the negative thinking patterns you’ve identified. In the second column, write down a positive way to reframe it. E.g. “What if I shoot a bad score?” can be replaced with “Go out there and have fun. Enjoy hitting the shots and learning more about your game”.
Keep a performance journal
All my students enter their post round reviews into a performance journal. Reflect on your rounds by asking yourself questions such as:
Was there any negative thinking? How did I deal with it?
By using these mental training techniques, you’ll notice that you have fewer and fewer negative thoughts.
Another great replacement strategy is gratitude. Too many golfers lose sight of the amazing things about the game and the experience and instead get consumed by minor setbacks and frustrations. Also in your journal, write down what you were grateful for in the round, and what went well. It won’t be long before you you start to change your perspective and your thinking patterns, so you notice more of those things when you are out there and see good things ahead (optimism) and less negatives.
Have a plan
With each student I work with, we decide on a “process” for each phase of the round. They rehearse what they are going to be focusing on in each phase, which makes it easy not to get distracted by negative thoughts. My mental scorecard becomes a focal strategy for each player during their rounds, and by measuring their success more by this than by their score, they train themselves to direct their attention to what’s going to help them perform.
Thanks for reading. Helping golfers perform better and enjoy the game more is something I’m very passionate about. If you feel like this article was of benefit to you, please share with others. You can also follow me via @golfstateofmind on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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