When Uncertainty is Positive

Uncertainty is a fundamental component of human life. For example, we are uncertain about the weather, how long we will live, whether we will contract COVID, etc. Typically, we find uncertainty uncomfortable and are willing to take action to reduce it (Lovallo and Kahneman, 2000). While uncertainty is often associated with negative emotions, in some circumstances, it is related to positive emotions.

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For example, sometimes we seek out uncertainty-inducing activities, e.g., reading mystery novels or watching suspenseful movies, watching sports, or buying lottery tickets. We even get annoyed when someone spoils the ending of a movie or a book or someone tells us who won the game before we watch the recording.

In a classic study, researchers created a situation where participants were uncertain about which of two gifts they would receive. They found that the participants who didn’t know which gift they would receive maintained positive feelings longer than those who knew which one they would get (Kurtz et al., 2007). The researchers concluded that uncertainty about a pleasant event holds people’s attention longer, allowing them to extend the time they experience positive feelings (Anderson et al., 2019). For example, uncertainty about which of the two gifts you will receive leads you to imagine what it would be like to receive one of the gifts and then imagine receiving the second gift. This process increases our thinking time, which lengthens the time we experience positive emotions.

Negative Bias

If our attention works as described in the research on anticipating gifts, why is uncertainty typically experienced as a negative phenomenon? One possibility is that potential adverse outcomes hold more weight in situations that could be interpreted as positive or negative (Anderson et al., 2019). An attentional bias toward the negative has been observed by researchers in many areas, with some researchers stating that this negative bias is a fundamental feature of the mind (Baumeister et al., 2001). For example, even in situations where visual information is available, such as seeing faces through binoculars, participants prioritize faces associated with negative gossip over other faces (Anderson et al., 2011).

This implicit negative bias may be an evolutionary adaptive response, considering the negative consequences of missing a harmful threat that may be much more significant than missing a positive reward. We also see a negative bias in decision-making in uncertain situations. For example, when we need to interpret a situation based on limited or conflicting information, we are most likely to choose the negative alternative instead of the positive.

Wiring Your Brain for Positivity

We have hundreds of thousands of thoughts each day. We are so accustomed to all this noise in our heads that we barely even notice it. Our mind is so busy that we rarely see what is going on around us.

The first step to quieting our mind is to notice what’s going on inside our heads. Start by noticing the chatter and internal dialogue. See if you can uncover any reoccurring themes. Then reflect on whether these themes are primarily negative or positive. You may notice how often they are filled with messages of worry, replaying bad experiences, or projecting negative consequences into the future.

Each time we have negative thoughts, we are wiring our brain for negativity, conditioning us to expect the worst and even affecting our self-esteem. We are so accustomed to negative reoccurring thoughts that we may even be comforted by them. They become who we are.

The fact is that negative, reoccurring messages in our head set us up for stress, anxiety, loss of enjoyment, and they limit our ability to achieve our hopes and dreams.

The simple exercise below can help you reduce the volume of any unwanted messages running on a continuous loop in your head, and help you replace them with positive, affirming messages – all helping you turn uncertainty to the positive.

References

Anderson, E. C., Siegel, E. H., Bliss-Moreau, E., and Barrett, L. F. (2011). The visual impact of gossip. Science 332, 1446–1448. doi: 10.1126/science.1201574

Anderson, E. C., Carleton, R. N., Diefenbach, M., & Han, P. K. (2019). The relationship between uncertainty and affect. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2504.

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., and Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 5, 323–370. doi: 10.1037/ 1089-2680.5.4.323

Kurtz, J. L., Wilson, T. D., and Gilbert, D. T. (2007). Quantity versus uncertainty: when winning one prize is better than winning two. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 43, 979–985. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2006.10.020

Lovallo, D., and Kahneman, D. (2000). Living with uncertainty: attractiveness and resolution timing. J. Behav. Decis. Mak. 13, 179–190. doi: 10.1002/(SI CI)1099-0771(200004/06)13:2<179::AID-BDM332>3.0.CO;2-J