Why does the brain mostly remember tragic, bad or embarassing memories instead of the happy ones

Question

Why does the brain mostly remember tragic, bad or embarassing memories instead of the happy ones

In: 4262

Answer 1

This is called negativity bias. As others have pointed out it likely serves an evolutionary benefit. You can go on a hike and for 99.99% of the time, you were enjoying the good weather and views but afterwards you’ll focus on the 0.01% of the time where you almost got bit by a venomous snake and that will define the trip. It makes us more prepared for the future.
Research says that this tends to disappear as we age and we can even lean towards a positivity bias.