Research shows that pets can act as an alternative source of social support and consistency in uncertain times (Mueller & Hunter, 2019). How is this possible and what do they do to make us easy and comfortable around them?

We like certainty. We are hard-wired to want to know what is happening and when. When things feel uncertain or when we don't feel safe, we become stressed. Why does this happen and what are the consequences? Read Part 1 of our series on uncertainty to learn more.

When we focus only on the negative impacts of stress, we are not seeing the whole picture. That's because stress is both good (eustress) and bad (distress). Here are some of the factors which influence whether we interpret stress as a good or bad, and if we should really be aiming for a stress-free life…

With the lack of certainty today, it is not surprising that we often don’t feel we have control over our lives. This is troublesome because a sense of control is an essential component of what it means to be human. We will go to great lengths to gain this sense of control, even if it means engaging in non-productive or unwanted behaviors. We are drawn to social media because it reduces our anxiety by giving us a temporary feeling of control (Atroszko et al., 2018). So, are we using it too much?