Latest / Deep Thoughts / Humans don’t like uncertainty

Transcript

Humans don’t like uncertainty · Deep Thoughts

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Ever get that like deeply unsettling feeling that not knowing
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: what's next, what's around the corner. That's uncertainty and we're
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: diving deep into it today. Uncertainty, it's everywhere right, impacts
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  Speaker 1: all of us.
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  Speaker 2: It does time.
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  Speaker 1: But like, why does it feel so uncomfortable? So icky?
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  Speaker 1: Turns out we can blame it on evolution, you know.
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  Speaker 2: We back when our ancestors, they relied on predictability for survival,
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  Speaker 2: knowing when the seasons would change, where to hunt, what
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  Speaker 2: was safe, what wasn't.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, like knowing meant living basically.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly uncertainty back then, well that was basically a death center.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, Okay, So back then, uncertainty meant you might not
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  Speaker 1: make it. But does that, like primal fear, still stick
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  Speaker 1: with us today?
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  Speaker 2: I mean it absolutely does. Our brains haven't really caught
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  Speaker 2: up with modern life. Uncertainty still triggers are amigdala.
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  Speaker 1: Caull that backup amygdala.
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  Speaker 2: It's the fear center of your brain. And when it
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  Speaker 2: senses uncertainty, boom stress hormones. It's like your brain is
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  Speaker 2: still prepping you to fight a sabretooth tiger.
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  Speaker 1: So my brain thinks unstable certainty is a tiger, no
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  Speaker 1: wonder it feels so overwhelming. And get this. There was
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  Speaker 1: this study, I think it was in Nature Communications. They
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  Speaker 1: found people were more stressed out by a fifty percent
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  Speaker 1: chance of an electric shock than a guaranteed shock.
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  Speaker 2: That's how much our brains hate not knowing a guaranteed
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  Speaker 2: bad outcome. We can handle that plan for it. The
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  Speaker 2: unknown that's where things get.
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  Speaker 1: Messy, So it's better to face the devil. You know,
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  Speaker 1: that's wild. It's like we'd rather choose the bad thing
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  Speaker 1: we can see coming. Makes you think, makes you.
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  Speaker 2: Think about all the choices we make, doesn't it?
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  Speaker 1: It totally does, Like you know, ambiguity a version is.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: This part of that whole thing, ambiguity a version. It's well,
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  Speaker 2: it's our bias towards the known. We prefer known risks,
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  Speaker 2: even if they're worse than the unknown ones.
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  Speaker 1: Can you give an example of that.
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  Speaker 2: Imagine two lotteries. One has a fifty percent chance of winning,
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  Speaker 2: the second one we don't know the odds. It could
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  Speaker 2: be better, could be worse. Most people would pick that
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  Speaker 2: fifty percent lottery.
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  Speaker 1: Even though the other one could be way better.
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  Speaker 2: Even then, we don't like not knowing that's so interesting.
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  Speaker 1: So even if the unknown could be better, we're like, nope,
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  Speaker 1: I'm out. Does this happen like in our regular lives?
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  Speaker 1: I mean not just lotteries.
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  Speaker 2: It impacts everything, investments, what job you take, even relationships.
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  Speaker 2: We're drawn to what's familiar, even if it might not
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  Speaker 2: be the best in the long run.
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  Speaker 1: So are we fooling ourselves trying to get rid of uncertainty?
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  Speaker 1: Like do we actually have as much control as we
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  Speaker 1: think we do.
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  Speaker 2: It's easy to fall for what's called the illusion of control.
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  Speaker 2: We tend to think we know more than we do
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  Speaker 2: and downplay risks.
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  Speaker 1: Classic human move, it really is.
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  Speaker 2: And a big part of this illusion is certainty bias.
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  Speaker 2: We latch onto anything that backs up what we already believe.
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  Speaker 2: Stuff that challenges our beliefs, we tend to ignore that.
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  Speaker 1: So like those investors who stick with the same stocks
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  Speaker 1: even though like there might be way better options out there. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: they're not just being stubborn. They're trying to feel in
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  Speaker 1: control exactly.
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  Speaker 2: It's not just about the money, It's about that feeling
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  Speaker 2: of knowing of certainty.
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  Speaker 1: And this doesn't just happen with money, right, It goes
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  Speaker 1: deeper than that.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely this bias. It seeps into everything. Our beliefs are
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: world views. We cling to familiar ideas because, well because
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  Speaker 2: admitting we don't know everything is uncomfortable. But that can
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: lead to dogmatism, you know, makes it hard to really
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  Speaker 2: listen to other perspectives.
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  Speaker 1: Uncertainties making us anxious, making us choose bad options, making
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  Speaker 1: us closed minded, sounds pretty grim.
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  Speaker 2: Honestly, it can feel that way. But there's another side
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  Speaker 2: to this uncertainty. As uncomfortable as it is, it's also
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  Speaker 2: the engine of creativity.
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  Speaker 1: Wait, really, how does that work?
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  Speaker 2: Well, there's research from the Journal of Experimental Psychology that
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  Speaker 2: found the more uncomfortable we are with uncertainty, the more
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: creative we get. It forces our brains to think differently.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Our brains are like, must find a solution interesting.
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  Speaker 2: Our brains don't like loose ends. So when faced with uncertainty,
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  Speaker 2: we're pushed to explore new ideas, to find answers in
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  Speaker 2: unexpected places.
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  Speaker 1: So instead of like shutting down, our brains are actually
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  Speaker 1: kicking into overdrive. That's a pretty cool twist.
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: It really is. Think about We'll think about Einstein, Da
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  Speaker 2: Vinci Tesla. These weren't people who shied away from the unknown,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: embraced it.
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  Speaker 1: They were like, bring on the uncertainty.
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  Speaker 2: They let it fuel their work, push them to make
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  Speaker 2: groundbreaking discoveries.
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  Speaker 1: So we've got this weird paradox uncertainty. It freaks us out,
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  Speaker 1: but it's also essential for growth, for creativity. So how
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  Speaker 1: do we deal with that? How do we actually get
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  Speaker 1: comfortable with this whole uncertainty thing.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the first step is accepting it. Uncertainty is part
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  Speaker 2: of life. We can't escape it.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so we accept it, But how do we stop
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  Speaker 1: it from like driving us crazy?
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  Speaker 2: And they can start by reframing it. Instead of seeing
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  Speaker 2: uncertainty as a threat, see it as an opportunity. It's
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  Speaker 2: a chance to grow, to explore, or to discover.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So I'm trying to see the good side of uncertainty.
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  Speaker 1: I'm trying to reframe it, but I still feel anxious.
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  Speaker 1: What can I do about that?
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  Speaker 2: Mindfulness is a really powerful tool. When we focus on
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  Speaker 2: the present moment, we can quiet those anxieties about the future.
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  Speaker 1: So we're basically grounding ourselves in the now, in the present.
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  Speaker 1: That makes sense. But what about action? Can we actually
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  Speaker 1: like build up our tolerance for uncertainty, like make ourselves
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: a little less scared of it.
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  Speaker 2: We absolutely can't. It's like building a muscle. Every time
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  Speaker 2: you step outside your comfort zone, try something new, take
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  Speaker 2: a calculated risk, you're strengthening that muscle.
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  Speaker 1: So we're talking about things like I don't know, trying
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  Speaker 1: a new hobby, going to a social event where you
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  Speaker 1: don't know many people.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly. It's about building psychological flexibility, being able to roll
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  Speaker 2: with the punches, adapt to new information. That way, when
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  Speaker 2: the unexpected happens, we don't freeze up.
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  Speaker 1: We're ready to face it head on.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly. Uncertainty it's not going away, but by embracing it,
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  Speaker 2: we can tap into a whole new level of resilience.
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  Speaker 2: We can become more creative, more adaptable, more open to
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  Speaker 2: new possibilities.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: So it's not about eliminating uncertainty. It's about changing how
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: we relate to.
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  Speaker 2: It, exactly. It's about learning to dance with the unknown
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  Speaker 2: instead of letting it lead.
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  Speaker 1: This has been a fascinating look at uncertainty. It's everywhere.
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  Speaker 1: It impacts us in so many ways. But the big
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: takeaway it's not the enemy. It's a powerful force that
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  Speaker 1: can actually help us grow.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: It's about seeing the potential in the unknown.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, So here's a final question for you. What could
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  Speaker 1: you achieve if you embraced the unknown? What could you create?
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  Speaker 1: What could you discover? Think about it. We'll see you
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  Speaker 1: next time.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the
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  Speaker 2: Deep Thoughts podcast. I hope you found insights and inspiration
• 6:19
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• 6:23
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• 6:36
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• 6:38
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