Which bias causes people to pay more attention to negative information?

• A. Negativity Bias
• B. Endowment Effect
• C. Distinction Bias
• D. Bandwagon Effect

Answer: (A)

Negativity bias is the tendency to pay more attention to negative information than to positive or neutral information. This bias stems from an adaptive purpose: detecting and reacting to potential threats helps ensure survival. Because negative information often signals danger or harm, our attention, interpretation, and memory are skewed toward it, making negative details stand out more and linger longer in our minds. That’s why people are more likely to notice warning signs, dwell on bad news, and weight negative experiences more heavily when forming judgments.

The other biases listed don’t describe this specific tendency. The Endowment Effect is about valuing something more once you own it. The Bandwagon Effect involves adopting beliefs or behaviors because others do. Distinction Bias refers to exaggerating differences between options when you compare them side by side. None of these capture the idea of prioritizing negative information in attention and memory like negativity bias does.