Rewards And Losses

Introduction

The brain focuses on losses before rewards and gains (see elsewhere in the knowledge base).

Every change involves some losses and these need to be considered as these experiences of loss trigger adaptive responses. Generally losses are divided into

- tangible (visible)

- intangible (invisible and felt; usually harder to articulate than tangible)

The brain does not distinguish between the 2.

An example of tangible and intangible losses and gains occurs when losing your job:

(source: Jacqueline Kappers, 2022)

It is important to name and validate the losses (both tangible and intangible) as it is a mechanism for moving away from amygdala dominance. Conversely, invalidating someone else's feelings and experiences has a powerful negative effect, ie shuts them down, alienates them, damages relationships, etc.

This naming and validating should be followed by meaning reconstruction, ie exploring what the loss means, learning from it, finding ways to move forward, etc. Then explanation and experimentation, ie considering the possibilities, the gains, WIIFM, etc. Then the brain will adopt and adapt to the new way as the new norm.

(source: Jacqueline Kappers, 2022)

NB change is part of the human experience