Why manage negative expectations?

Managing your over-protective, prediction (survival) and memory systems.

The nocebo effect

A nocebo effect is said to occur when negative expectations of the patient regarding a treatment cause the treatment to have a more negative effect than it otherwise would have. For example, when a patient anticipates a side effect of a medication, they can experience that effect even if the “medication” is actually an inert substance.

The complementary concept, the placebo effect, is said to occur when positive expectations improve an outcome. Taken from Wikipedia.

Expectations can drive catastrophic thinking - making our thoughts and health worse.

This can also explain why people behave in unreasonable ways when afraid, angry or frustrated. Negative expectation effects can be neutralised. To do this we must be psychologically aware and willing to stop and properly listen to our emotional alerts (and those from others).

The over-protective prediction machine within our subconscious mind needs understanding and appreciation before it will stop alerting us to danger.

Calmly asking questions, listening properly and noting the answers will help to reduce or even completely remove catastrophic thinking.

Communication starts with listening and then understanding.