Why your brain hates uncertainty

为什么你的大脑讨厌不确定性

Science Quickly

2026-10-23

22 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Our brains are constantly trying to predict what comes next, but in an increasingly unpredictable world, that mental workload can fuel stress, anxiety and even depression. In this episode of Science Quickly, author Maia Szalavitz explains how the brain processes uncertainty, why some people are better equipped to handle it than others and how we can build resilience by learning to embrace the unknown. Recommended Reading: How uncertainty breaks the brain E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak, Allison Rodgers and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome.

  • You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new.

  • They can help you with practically anything on the web,

  • like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block,

  • or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.

  • Gemini and Chrome is here for it.

  • Ready to make anything online make sense?

  • There's no place like Chrome.

  • Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+.

  • Fall never arrives all at once.

  • First the air, then the light.

  • And slowly the things you love begin to find each other.

  • A jacket meets a dress.

  • A hoodie slips beneath a blazer.

  • An old cap finds a new scarf.

  • Because you don't simply step into the season.

  • You create it layer by layer until it finally feels like fall.

  • Find fall your way at Ross.

  • For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feldman.

  • There's a lot of uncertainty in the air right now, whether you're trying to predict the outcome of an upcoming election