Susan Britton MCCICF Award-Winning Coach Educator, Neuroscience-Informed ICF/SHRM Coach Training, INSEAD Executive Masters in Change, Advocate for Evolutionary Shift from “Red Zone” to “Blue Zone” for Leaders, Coaches & Fellow Humans

Brain’s Evolutionary Aversion to Uncertainty

Name: Brain’s Evolutionary Aversion to Uncertainty
Uploaded: 2025-11-19T06:00:51+00:00
Duration: 41 s
Channel: Susan Britton MCC
Description: In this talk, Susan Britton MCC explains that humans have an evolutionary aversion to uncertainty because uncertainty can signal potential threats. The…

19 Nov 2025 · 1 min

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In this talk, Susan Britton MCC explains that humans have an evolutionary aversion to uncertainty because uncertainty can signal potential threats. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) works overtime—what she calls “overdrive mode”—to try to resolve uncertain situations, whether they involve political instability, a parent’s health, personal medical diagnoses, or launching a new business. By attempting to make the uncertain certain, the brain seeks to restore a sense of safety, calm, and control. The excerpt emphasizes that reducing uncertainty can lead to feeling safer and more at ease.

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So we have this aversion to uncertainty because it could spell threat in some form or fashion. And at the same time, we're trying to figure out what to do with it. So we've got the aversion, and now this PFC is working overtime to try to navigate and figure out, how am I going to get through this process? What am I going to do about the political uncertainty, about the parent's health, about my, my health diagnosis, about launching my new business? All those things that were listed in the chat. We're in this, like, overdrive mode trying to figure out how we're going to navigate and make the uncertain certain. If we can make the uncertain certain, we're going to feel better. We're going to feel a little more calm. We're going to feel like I'm safe.