What does it mean when someone talks negative? (2023)

What does it mean to speak negative?

Negative self-talk is any inner dialogue that could be limiting your ability to believe in yourself and your own abilities to reach your potential. It is any thought that reduces you and your ability to make positive changes in your life or your confidence in your ability to do so.

What is a negative person and why are they negative? Consider this definition of negativity: “A tendency to be downbeat, disagreeable, and skeptical. It's a pessimistic attitude that always expects the worst.

Negative self-talk can come from a place of depression, low self-confidence, and anxiety and be part of a more significant mental health concern. However, you may also have habits that are causing negative self-talk. Some of these habits include: Not addressing relationship problems.

The word is pessimist, a person who expects the worst. Mr X is a pessimist. Contrast with optimist.

Spending time with negative people can be the fastest way to ruin a good mood. Their pessimistic outlooks and gloomy attitude can decrease our motivation and change the way we feel. But allowing a negative person to dictate your emotions gives them too much power in your life.

Being around a negative person can cause you to feel depressed or sad as well. Research even confirms that negativity is contagious. 5 Communicating negativity in social interactions, even through facial expressions, can pass that negativity on to others. (The good news is: Positivity is contagious, too.)

Negative Behavior Defined

Hostility or aggressiveness. Narcissism or lack of accountability or responsibility. Rudeness, disrespect or bullying toward colleagues or clients. Actions or statements that undermine team motivation or business goals.

What is it called when someone speaks badly about you?

“She badmouths her husband everywhere” synonyms: drag through the mud, malign, traduce. type of: asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, slander, smear, smirch, sully. charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone.

Negative comments provide evidence that you cannot succeed at your goals, which can be demotivating. There is evidence that people need to experience positive feelings about three times more often than negative feelings in order to maintain positive moods.

A toxic person is anyone whose behavior adds negativity and upset to your life. Many times, people who are toxic are dealing with their own stresses and traumas. To do this, they act in ways that don't present them in the best light and usually upset others along the way.

Toxic negativity is about someone projecting their inner pain, even though they might strongly deny that. There's no need to walk on eggshells around them, because that means that – at some level – you're taking personal responsibility for their pain and emotions.

Examples of Negative Self-Talk

You blame yourself for anything bad that happens with no evidence. You seem to always be beating yourself up. For example, a friend or coworker is in a bad mood and you immediately think it's because you've done something to make them mad.

It can sound like “I'm never going to be able to do this”, “I'm no good at this”, or “I've tried everything — nothing works”. Negative self-talk can be repetitive and often does not reflect reality. It can lead to rumination, which is repetitive with intrusive negative thoughts.

According to Mayo Clinic, there are four main ones to be exact: personalizing, filtering, catastrophizing, and polarizing.

What Causes Negativity? Negativity is often a product of depression or insecurity. It can stem from illness, life events, personality problems, and substance abuse. Like many things in life, negativity too, can become a habit.

What are the five types of negative self-talk?

Self-talk doesn't just impact anxiety; it can exacerbate depression too. According to a study published in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, people who engage in negative self-talk experience more intense feelings of depression.

Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you're thankful for in your life.