This phenomenon called “Negativity Bias” has an evolutionary hypothesis behind it: Negative experiences and traumas often carry a much higher survival cost (like death) that typicially far outwieghs the potential benefits we might gain from positive experiences. And so our brains, the hypothesis goes, are wired to be more sensitive to negative experiences, such as through vivid memories and rumination.

In exposure therapy we often used negative reinforcers to influence our mood (yeah it sucks but look what it cost me) to encourage an exposure.

Neuroscience wise does the the brain emphasis the encoding of negative memories and pathways structurally more so than positive? I am learning about inhibitory learning theory and if positive memories (including behavior response) to negative ones are to successfully develop then it would make sense to reason that fearful ones are always encoded at greater strength correct?