In general, why do people remember bad experiences more than good ones?
Answer:
This is not necessarily true.
It may seem this way because you and the people you know do however I have know several people most of them living to a much older age because they choose to dwell on the positive.
Tramatic expriences however are much harder to forget like a serious car crash or a great disaster.
With that said those who choose to dwell upon negative experiences it all has to do with there values and norms they were brought up with and the outlook on life they have adopted. However the nice thing about being people is that you can choose to change your values, norms and outlooks. I am not saying this is easy i am just saying it is possible.
because we take the good for granted
Because those are the experiences that hurt us the most. That is why it cannot be forgotten.
I think it's because we recognize the bad experiences as lessons, things not to be repeated. We imprint the bad stuff on our memory in hopes of not letting the same thing happen again. For example when a child is hit, he/she processes the situation and learns not to do certain things (such as upset parents). Although sometimes the signals get crossed it's ultimately a pattern of self preservation.
bad experiences leave marks and are mistakes that you end up growing from
Most people tend to dwel on the bad even when they don't want to. They try so hard to forget that it ends up making them remember. Also it hurts the most. It is like a scar. Lets say the mad memories are like scars and the good memories are your favorite food. You love the food and you gobble it up. When you've eaten it there is no trace left of it. So you slowly forget the detailed tastes( The good memories). A scar is always there and will never leave. You can only hope it fades a little or try and cover it up. Either way you still know it is there.
The bad experiences also teach us lessons. Lets say you're riding a horse. You enjoy riding the horse. If you mess up then there is a consequence, most likely you fall off. You don't want to repeat it so you remember it because you don't want to feel that pain again.
Because we are in a society where the bad ones affect us more than good. Usually while growing up we always remember and think of the good things that happened to us. When we get older our conscious mind is able to remember the good and bad. With the bad being a new feature to our mind we start to realize and notice them more. That is why I think we notice the bad more than the good. Because we were raised by the good that it starts to become unnoticeable to our mind.
We have masochistic tendencies?
The imperative to LIVE is strong. "Bad" experiences . . .what we perceive as "bad" . . . are tied-in with what is not conducive with survival and good health. We remember bad experiences most vividly because it is most important above all to remember how to avoid those events and choices that can lead to poor health, pain, suffering and death.
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