Why do negative stories spread faster than hopeful ones? From a behavior-analytic (BCBA) perspective, the answer isn’t pessimism—it’s reinforcement. Fear, outrage, and drama are high-salience stimuli that grab attention, trigger fast emotional responses, and get rewarded with clicks, shares, and social validation.

In this episode, we break down how media and social platforms shape our behavior through dense reinforcement schedules, turning doomscrolling into a well-trained habit rather than a personal flaw. Negative content “works” because it delivers immediate payoff, while positive stories—poorly reinforced and low on arousal—rarely stand a chance.

If you’re tired of blaming mindset and want to understand the contingencies driving what you consume, this episode pulls back the curtain. Change the reinforcement, change the behavior. Until then, negativity will keep winning—not because we like it, but because we’ve been taught to choose it.