Studies by Tversky and Kahneman suggest that criticism and negative feedback are alot less effective than positive feedback and encouragement.
Criticism appears to have a strong effect because of the return to the norm effect.
Take the example of a fighter pilot doing carrier landings. There are some really good landings, and some really poor landings, but most are just normal landings.
Say he makes a poor landing. The probability is that his next landing will be better is large, just because most landings are ok landings. If he makes a great landing, chances are his next one will be poorer.
Say the pilot was berated for making a poor landing, and the next one is better. It appears as if the critisism was working, when actually all you were wittnessing was a return to the expected quality of landing. Oppositely if he made a great landing, and was praised for it, the probability is still that his next landing will be worse, making the praise appear inneffective.
That’s why critisim appears to have a positive effect and praise to have a negative effect, when in reality, praise is much more efficient when trying to make someone perform better.
I always try to remember that when someone is performing poorly and i feel like dishing it out.