Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist?

The “blue dot theory” could suggest that humans are hard-wired to be pessimists, after psychologists discovered that once our brains are primed to see something (such as a blue dot), we see it everywhere, even when it’s not really there.

Read on to learn more about how the blue dot theory could be affecting you and how you can stop it from negatively impacting your life.

The “blue dot” theory

In 2017, Harvard researchers asked participants to identify blue dots among thousands, ranging from very blue to very purple.

During the first 200 trials, the participants could accurately identify the roughly equal proportion of blue and purple dots. However, as the experiment progressed and fewer blue dots appeared, participants began to label more obviously purple dots as blue.

To confirm their findings, the researchers attempted another trial with the same concept where they replaced the blue and purple dots with photos of threatening and non-threatening expressions. Once again, as they reduced the number of threatening photos, participants still identified the same ratio of pictures as threatening.

They concluded that our brains are designed to look for threats and problems regardless of our environment or whether the issues exist.

In practice, this often affects social lives. If your brain is looking for problems, you are more likely to interpret other people’s expressions, comments, or silences as judgments against you.

The blue dot theory also means that when you solve the big problems in your life, instead of being pleased with your progress, the smaller annoyances become more significant to you to fill the space.

How to combat the blue dot effect

If your brain is hard-wired to be pessimistic, you might be thinking there’s nothing you can do to change it – but have a bit of optimism!

The more aware you are of how the blue dot theory impacts your day-to-day life, the easier it is for you to change your mindset and combat the negative effects it can have on your relationships.

1. Stop projecting assumptions

The blue dot theory often leads us to leap to assumptions about other people based on our own thoughts, feelings, or intentions.

For example, you might interpret your colleagues’ neutral behaviour as personal attacks on you based on insecurities. Next time you find yourself wondering if someone you know is displeased with you, stop and consider whether you have concrete evidence to prove this.

Separating facts from assumptions can help you to quash the negative thoughts and remind you that most people are too focused on themselves to analyse your every move.

2. Try to avoid snap judgments

Our ability to make fast decisions is an evolutionary device that has kept humanity alive for centuries, but it can also lead to you making wrong judgments about your loved ones.

For example, if your friend seems quiet, your first assumption might be that they are upset with you. However, this snap judgment is based on limited evidence and might not be true.

Next time, you find yourself making a snap judgment about something important, pause and allow yourself to wonder what else could be the reasoning behind someone’s behaviour. For example, simply asking your friend what is wrong could help you to support them and deepen your friendship, rather than assuming the worst straight off the bat.

3. Practise gratitude

The blue dot effect can make your life seem a lot worse than reality by turning every inconvenience into a monumental problem and every social interaction into an anxiety-inducing spiral.

Although we can’t prevent ourselves from finding problems and seeing the bad parts of life, it’s important to focus on the good things.

Take five minutes out of your day to reflect on all the progress you have made in life and some good things that have happened to you recently. You can even record the things you are grateful for in a journal every morning for a positive start to your day, or every night to help you sleep peacefully.

While it can seem difficult to find the positives at first, practising gratitude can help you weaponise the blue dot theory against your brain. If you prime yourself to focus on the good things in life, you are more likely to see them, helping you to have a more optimistic outlook on life.

4. Be compassionate towards yourself

We are often our own worst critics. When we’re quick to judge ourselves, blue dot theory means we are even faster at interpreting other people’s actions as judgments against us.

Being kinder to yourself will mean you assume other people have good intentions and can help you put a positive spin on any problems you might face.

To start practising self-compassion, try talking to yourself as you would someone you care about. Every time you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, consider whether you would say those things to someone you love, and offer yourself the same kindness.