Positivity effect
The positivity effect is the tendency, which grows stronger with age, to pay more attention to positive information than negative information and to remember it better. It can support well-being, but it can also lead us to overlook warnings.
In everyday life
When shown a mix of happy and sad pictures, older adults tend to remember more of the happy ones than younger adults do.
After his yearly checkup, your 70-year-old father tells you only about his good cholesterol numbers and has already forgotten the doctor's warning about his blood pressure.
Why your mind does this
Trusting people and things we know is usually safe, because familiarity means we have dealt with them before without harm. Favoring our own group helped our ancestors cooperate with the people they depended on. Liking what is close and known also saves the effort of judging everything from scratch.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Familiar is better
How to spot it
Ask whether you have given the warning signs as much attention as the good news.
How to counter it
Write down the risks and negatives explicitly, so they stay in view next to the positives.