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Power Problems • April 6, 2021 

# The Negativity Bias 

Dominic Tierney, associate professor at Swarthmore College, explains how the “negativity bias” affects international relations. Negativity bias causes threat inflation, leads policymakers to maintain failing policies out of loss aversion, and produces misconceptions that make conflict more likely. Biden administration policies towards Iran, Afghanistan, and China are discussed, among other issues.

**Show Notes**

- [Dominic Tierney bio](https://www.swarthmore.edu/profile/dominic-tierney)
- Dominic D.P. Johnson and Dominic Tierney, “[Bad World: Negativity Bias in International Politics](https://watermark.silverchair.com/isec_a_00336.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAApswggKXBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggKIMIIChAIBADCCAn0GCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMo52CRl2NRPiKITYiAgEQgIICTizK0ko47FumFuAygHO1goV-_6US9smYpUa7ZhFn4OlC1tQ7LCdtddHOSsTvBu_3XDfppUKmgWLCyha-dd1NzAcp_s7Gj8iTtkui0zGhbFIFMptZQjazlAMV3mTofJ1_4Uashbg6R0cVZZbR4GNBHFJJZvvw5WCVl20ETzNDkeVeiafTwH2FoxppKubY5-lCkKFI2PS2yffSULhYUrsiiuUH0RsdAOeiyTlKwu1bjXr2splYA6U_mFbA_Tan4bjtmR4ieujGDnglXS-CEvOiQpBTYixFWp9h7afTf6-gKZ29Jb7EwoGS8BGjZNPsGzsrD_30_HPE-LEeIeuV3CcuH0DYQk7CJ293TxCpxxpW_ECVkoCdpG1mLm1_g2NI2YYV2KO9eGfp2gA9NVlsMt3lRIAammgRQrpF3E7oovsmiIiKEFo4AeN9QzqoIotQExABEziMfo_wAP-r0EHq1RtJTj_lyYX5tT23pytr2P7j2tR3l8ZtW80byXVizIT4n58hQMk0wITOgj3vjQejHzXRo-ucb0r4dYl4SBQ9zbmwryKdexMKN3kb2LAUAiM9HgiSiQu6ISj13LM8mQqTHvqVUqVyLilrdL3oxly9Qs9eicK4F0zUYJdl6ybMHRQML52kKNIAsMBnoZAAkb-oAhECmRoHLmObWqWCcZHMzuPITuOgSYGUlICE4t4EvJMGS7VzcchczTcwZq9PvlOvddVf2vK4HVqPD6vTVsGZtwJdhalSkbFB1HhEDLBDCmLtER7xfHv7SoaAg1IBcaXbjRKO),” *International Security* 43, no. 3 (Winter 2018/19): 96–140.

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

##### Featuring 

##### Dominic Tierney 

Associate Professor, Swarthmore College

![John Glaser](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/John%20Glaser.jpg?itok=-uvxR8zG) 

##### John Glaser 

Host, Power Problems Podcast

[ 

](https://twitter.com/jwcglaser)