Book · 2019 · Psychology
The Power of Bad
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And he's written a lot of brilliant books, one of which is The Power of Bad. And basically punishment works better than reward, that sort of thing.
Ann Coulter · Breaking Points · Apr 2026 Listen at 5:00 The best things said about it
There's great books on the subject called literally the power of bad or the power of negativity.
More recently they've published a book called The Power of bad how the negativity effect rules Us and how we can rule it.
Stephen Dubner Freakonomics Radio · Jan 2023 Well roy baumeister just has a book it came out i think last year the year before uh something like the power of bad or something.
The social psychologist Roy bowmeister calls it the power of bad.
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
4 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
The Power of Bad by John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister is a psychology book examining the negativity bias and how the human brain processes adverse information over positive experiences. On Breaking Points, Ann Coulter mentioned the volume while discussing her upcoming interview with the authors, noting how punishment frequently proves more effective than reward and how nations often overestimate threats when entering conflicts. Dr. Mike referenced the research on Modern Wisdom, pointing out that human brains are fundamentally hardwired for negativity. Freakonomics Radio host Stephen Dubner discussed the work alongside social psychologist Roy Baumeister, exploring how the negativity effect rules human behavior and how individuals might learn to manage it. Rob Henderson also brought up Baumeister's publication on Modern Wisdom to explain the foundational mechanisms of psychological negativity bias during a conversation about social signaling. Across these podcast episodes, commentators emphasized the profound evolutionary weight that bad experiences carry in daily life, decision-making, and public discourse, demonstrating why negative stimuli consistently outweigh positive reinforcement in shaping human actions and cultural narratives.
Every mention
Ann Coulter And he's written a lot of brilliant books, one of which is The Power of Bad. And basically punishment works… 1
“And he's written a lot of brilliant books, one of which is The Power of Bad. And basically punishment works better than reward, that sort of thing.”
Dr Mike there's great books on the subject called literally the power of bad or the power of negativity 1
“there's great books on the subject called literally the power of bad or the power of negativity”
Rob Henderson well roy baumeister just has a book it came out i think last year the year before uh something like the pow… 1
“well roy baumeister just has a book it came out i think last year the year before uh something like the power of bad or something”
Stephen Dubner more recently they've published a book called The Power of bad how the negativity effect rules Us and how w… 1
“more recently they've published a book called The Power of bad how the negativity effect rules Us and how we can rule it”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“the social psychologist Roy bowmeister calls it the power of bad”
