Photo by VetriScience Laboratories on Unsplash
The other day I was on a walk with my dogs, Moon Pie and Ellie Bellie and experienced something I feel compelled to write about. For those of you who don't know us Moon Pie is a French Bulldog that had rear paralysis and can now walk, though with her own unique style, and Ellie Bellie is a pug that was so badly abused as a puppy it was believed that she would never stand again let alone walk but now does both. When I am out on a walk and people see Moon Pie's mobility challenges in particular it often provokes a lot of conversation. I also found this to be the case when I would be out with my seniors since any dog with some issues seems to be a magnet for conversation. I try and use these moments to open people's minds about both senior dogs and special needs dogs since many people don't realize what is possible but I'll admit there are times when reactions affect me.
On a very recent walk, we met a nice couple with two very cute and friendly Boston terriers. Moon Pie loves people so when they stopped she ran over to say hello. They noticed her mobility issues and their immediate response was "Oh how sad." My response was "No not sad, in fact, you are looking at the happiest dog on the planet!" Then in an attempt to find something positive to say the lady said "Yes she will live as long as she lives," as if to say her life would be short but at least happy. I don't think they even realized how their comments came across. In fact, they were really nice people so I know there was no ill intent, but it still affected me despite this. Unfortunately, their reaction is the norm and not the exception.
I faced these types of comments with all of my seniors over the years and it happened so often that I even designed a t-shirt that says "My dog's not old, you're old!" which I wear often as a funny, not-funny response and now with my special needs family not a walk goes by without something like this happening. So after this most recent experience, I have been asking myself why do we default to the negative when we meet a senior or a special needs dog. It happens so often that maybe there is a scientific reason for this response - turns out there is and it's called the negativity bias!
Understanding the Negativity Bias
The negativity bias is all around us. It is why car accidents cause traffic jams, why one negative comment can ruin our day, why social media comments can be cruel, and why news outlets focus on bad news far more than good. We as human beings are drawn to the negative giving the bad more weight in our minds than the good. The fact that I am writing this blog is proof of that!
There is actually a great deal of research on this topic because it is so ingrained in our lives. Some scientists believe that it goes back to our evolutionary roots where we had to be more attuned to negative information in order to identify threats and dangers critical for survival. Others believe that the negativity bias is linked very closely to our need to avoid loss.
Studies have shown that the pain of losing something is twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining from a psychological standpoint. When it comes to our reaction to dogs that are senior or those with special needs it is entirely possible that people's brains immediately feel a sense of loss and react to it because they themselves have experienced the loss or struggle of a beloved dog or have a fear of this and connect to these emotions. This would certainly explain why dog-loving people are often the ones making such comments. On some level, it becomes more about themselves, their experiences, and emotions than about the dog they are commenting on.
Overcoming the Negativity Bias Towards Senior and Special Needs Dogs
Understanding that this negativity bias is a common and almost automatic reaction has helped me to see these interactions in a new light. I also believe that if more people understand this human behavior then maybe we can do something about it. In a recent book titled: The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It the authors believe that the more aware we are that our minds overreact to negative things relative to positive things, the better we can manage its impact.
So that is my hope with this blog post that those of you reading this will think back to times when you have come across an older dog, or a special needs dog and reflect on what you said to their human. Was it a positive comment about how the dog is doing so well or did you react with pity? Sometimes it is a subtle reaction that carries more weight than you realize. Now that you know how susceptible we are to this negativity bias, next time you run into this scenario hopefully you can override your natural instincts and find something positive to say because oftentimes there is plenty of good to comment on!
On the flip side, I hope that understanding the negative bias will help those of us, including myself, who are the recipients of such comments to not obsess about them giving them more weight than they deserve. And though I won't stop wearing my t-shirt, my newfound enlightenment on human behavior will enable me to reduce the overall impact these comments have on me and hopefully the same will be true for you.
Ann-Marie Fleming is the Founder & CEO of Dog Quality, a provider of innovative assistive products focused on improving the quality of life for older dogs and the families that care for them.
