<p>Downvotes are neither bad nor a personal attack. <a href="http://meta.stackexchange.com/a/9961/154425">The top answer</a> to <a href="http://meta.stackexchange.com/q/9953/154425"><em>Could we please be a bit nicer to the n00bs?</em></a> put it best:</p>

<blockquote>
  <ul>
  <li>The up/down vote system is not just about rep, it <em>is</em> the quality control mechanism for Stack Overflow.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>... the up/down vote system is the core of how we get the "good stuff" up and the "bad stuff" down. It is not designed to be a personal attack against the users in question.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Users must have <a href="http://electronics.stackexchange.com/privileges/vote-down">125 rep to downvote</a>, and the reputation privilege is described to be cast on questions and answers that "are least useful... egregiously sloppy, no-effort-expended post, or an answer that is clearly and perhaps dangerously incorrect," but, really, they're used for whatever we want. Other motivators are listed in <a href="http://meta.stackexchange.com/q/2451/154425"><em>Why do you cast downvotes on answers?</em></a></p>

<p>Whatever the reason, don't take it personally. Similar to your behaviour in a discussion, it makes no sense to get upset when someone disagrees with, finds a flaw in, or offers an alternative to your argument.<b>*</b> This is something we all learn growing up socially. Those that don't abide are communally pegged as immature idiots, even if they were right.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/BVgN3.png" alt="xkcd: Duty Calls (http://xkcd.com/386/)"></p>

<p>Voting is anonymous, meant to encourage more votes, especially downvotes with it's emotional blast radius. <a href="http://meta.stackoverflow.com/users/811/shog9">Shog9♦</a>, in <a href="http://meta.stackexchange.com/a/37123/154425">an answer to <em>Feature request: @Downvoter sends a notification to all downvoters for your post</em></a>, defends downvote anonymity, why we should STFU about votes/rep, and how to better ask for suggestions:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I've thought more about this, and frankly... I don't like the idea of
  leaving a comment for down-voters <em>at all</em>, with or without
  notification. Down-voting isn't supposed to open a dialog - new users
  are <a href="http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/135/encouraging-people-to-explain-down-votes">encouraged to comment when
  down-voting</a>,
  but it's not mandatory - and if they don't feel the need, that's <em>just
  fine</em>. </p>
  
  <p>Furthermore, I've seen too many instances where a "Why the downvote?"
  comment poisons further discussion, turning comments into a debate
  over whether the vote was merited - this is noise, as comments are
  supposed to be relevant to the content of the post itself. In most
  cases - and especially when comments have already been posted prior to
  the request - <a href="http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/74559/is-it-now-discouraged-to-ask-for-reasons-for-downvotes-as-a-comment">I flag or delete these downvoter-addressed
  comments</a>.</p>
  
  <p>It's easy to feel frustrated, when you put substantial effort into a
  post only to see it down-voted without explanation. But this is an
  attitude that must be <em>discouraged</em> rather than justified. Remember:
  voting is primarily a means of communicating with <em>other readers</em> and
  with the system itself; comments should be reserved for providing
  auxiliary information, suggestions, and constructive criticism to the
  author. They're two separate mediums, and need to stay that way.</p>
  
  <p>Now, if you notice your post being down-voted and honestly want advice
  on improving it - regardless of whether or not that advice comes from
  the same users who down-voted it - by all means, ask for suggestions!
  Just stay focused on the <em>content</em>, not the <em>voting</em> or other users:</p>
  
  <h3>Good</h3>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Can anyone suggest improvements or corrections to this?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <h2>Bad</h2>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>@Downvoter, please leave a comment. Rawr!  </p>
    
    <p>Stupid anonymous down-voting cowards!</p>
    
    <p>Why the downvotes???</p>
  </blockquote>
</blockquote>

<p><strong>TL;DR</strong>
<BR>Downvoting is required to bury bad questions and answers and reveal good ones, but receiving a downvote doesn't necessarily mean anything. Other people vote for different reasons, and a few votes here and there don't matter, so don't sweat it.</p>

<p><br><b>*</b><sup><em>It makes sense when this discussion has real consequences, like getting or not getting the new Transformers toy with your Happy Meal, but that's besides the point.)</em></sup></p>