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Uncertainty



Human beings thrive on certainty and predictability. That’s not quite true – we don’t really thrive on it – we just crave it. In fact, science has shown that using similar physiological pathways and feedback loops, the human brain’s desire for certainty is right up there with food, sex and other primal urges.

Just as these latter cravings get us into trouble, the former can as well. We often pass up or neglect what’s possible because we are hanging on to what is predictable. Even if the predictable is harmful or destructive, we choose it because it’s what we know. As the saying goes, “Better the devil that you know than the devil that you don’t.”

Furthermore, we don’t want to be surprised by what lies ahead so we try to predict and model the future, borrowing trouble and feeling stress from circumstances that have not yet, and may never, materialize. We fear crossing bridges that may not even be on our path.

And because humans overvalue certainty, we often pay too high a price to avoid uncertainty. We give up not only possibilities and opportunities, we also diminish ourselves for the pretense of control over our circumstances.

If you aren’t careful, you may find yourself trading away freedom and fulfillment for certainty.

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