Feedback & Negativity Bias

Feedback and Criticism & Negativity Bias

When I was a professional dancer I worked for a very demanding woman.

First, let me just tell you that when you're involved with someone in the creative process where you (or your body) is their medium you have to make yourself vulnerable - you are their tool.

That's the setup...

When my ex-boss was creating a new work and she wanted to see some of her recently created choreography, you'd literally start to move, do maybe one or two steps of the whole movement phrase, and she'd yell out, "NOT LIKE THAT!" You'd try again and you wanted nothing more than to desperately give her what she thought she wanted but couldn't articulate.

Have you ever felt like that?

That no matter what you did, it wasn't right or correct?

How did it make you feel? 

photo by Hello I'm Nik

Negative self talk and/or negative criticism from your instructor, versus positivity - how does this effect learning and progressing in your Pilates practice?
 

Have you heard of negativity bias?

This is a survival mechanism left over from our cave dwelling days that puts more weight on negative experiences so we’ll be sure to remember them. Back then it was a matter of life and death, literally, I mean it’s important to remember that sabre tooth tigers wanted to eat you.

Now days we are still hardwired to react the same way, negative emotions turn on a part of our brains called the amygdala which when activated has been likened to an alarm bell in our brains🔔. With this alarm bell clanging away, negative experiences get stored as memories more deeply than positive ones.
 

So what does this have to do with Pilates? (that’s usually the question with these blog posts right?)

Over the years I've been taught things (school subjects, dance, pilates, etc.) in various ways, with the balance of positive and negative feedback varying depending on the teacher. Recalling the story of my ex-boss has me thinking on how I learn best as a student, and my 40+ years of teaching.

 These are the questions now going round and round and round in my brain: 

• Does negativity, either from ourselves or from our teacher get in the way of learning? 
• Does negative feedback build resiliency?
• If it’s true that “a single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress”, what are we telling ourselves when we judge our abilities in a Pilates class (or any learning situation) as being not good enough? being bad? being sucky? being ______?
• Is feedback best given as a "shit sandwich" - some bad layered between two goods - as a lot of people think? (Actually this I know the answer to: most people just want to hear the bad news and get it out of the way)
• Does being only positive in what you think and say make you a “Pollyanna” or do good thoughts and words also change your brain chemistry? (I think the answer here is yes!)

photo by Jason Leung

What do you think?

• How do you feel you learn best?
• What’s your self talk like?
• Is it productive?
• How do you respond to your instructors?
• Do you think you do better with positive feedback?
• Do you feel that it’s just words? (sometimes my negative self-talk overrides what my teacher says to me - does that happen to you too?) or,
• Do you feel like negative feedback motivates you to perform better? 

I definitely feel I respond to both positive and negative feedback but too much negativity stymies me and make me less willing to actually try something.

How strongly imprinted is that negative bias?

That story about my ex artistic director? I can still physically feeling how inadequate her exasperation made me feel and I was in my early 20’s! (which btw was a loooong time ago)

On the flip side though, negative feedback has definitely motivated me to prove to myself and others that I can rise to a challenge.

And the case for positive feedback?

• I (mostly) trust and listen to my teacher(s)
• I try to apply what they are telling me and forgive myself if it doesn’t happen right away.
• I’ve also learned to add the word YET at the end of a statement about something I’m struggling with - it’s magic!!

For example: I can’t do a full Rollup successfully every single time I'm in a class...yet. Or I can't hold a handstand for longer than a couple of seconds...yet.

So, yes, I do learn both ways, positively and negatively, with the negative feedback cycle more strongly engrained (probably like most people). Moving forward my plan is to shut down that negative bias alarm bell and replace those strong negative memories with something more positive! You with me? 

Does anyone but me remember the song from 1944 (no I was not born then!) called Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive? It's lyrics are appropriate:

"You gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive,
E-lim-inate the negative,
An' latch on
To the affirmative
Don't mess with mister in-between!

You gotta spread joy up to the maximum,
Bring gloom down to the minimum,
An' have faith (amen!)
Or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene"

And because I like to 'spread joy up to the maximum', I'll leave you with this link to Perry Como's version  of the song cause I just love the snazzy, jazzy intro!

Be Well,

xBec

The information contained above is provided for informational purposes only. The contents of this blog are not intended to amount to advice and Rebecca Forde disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this post. 

social & cover photo by Karsten Winegeart