Why the unknown scares us so much and what to do about it

Imagine that you have decided to change your profession. The situation is very common, given that 60% of Russians do not work in their specialty. Someone's parents chose a profession, someone at the age of 17 still did not understand what he wanted to do, and here is the result: one thing is written in the diploma, but the soul is drawn to something completely different.

And, it would seem, the solution lies on the surface: you just need to get another education and change your specialty. But this idea is followed by a string of questions, one more alarming than the other: “What if it's too late? Where to go to study? How much will I earn and what will happen next?"

As a result, for years we do not dare to change jobs, move, break off the hateful relationship.

Not because we are lazy or weak, but because we are afraid to cross the line beyond which there is nothing but the unknown. At first glance, it is quite logical to be afraid of it: it is a defense mechanism. However, at some point, he begins to work against us, getting in the way of our dreams and goals. Let's figure out why this is happening.

The answer is hidden in our brain

The fear of the unknown is not stupidity, not an invention or a whim. People suffering from increased anxiety and fear of the unknown (in English there is a term Intolerance of uncertainty - "intolerance to the unknown") did MRI, EEG and EMG - electromyography, a study of the electrical activity of muscles. After analyzing the results of the studies, scientists came to the conclusion that both the body and the brain of these people behave as if they were in real danger.

In addition, according to MRI data, certain brain structures - the insular lobe and the amygdala - are enlarged in patients with "intolerance to the unknown." These same departments are enlarged in those who suffer from depression, obsessive-compulsive and generalized anxiety disorders.

In addition, "intolerance to the unknown" can be a symptom or, conversely, a kind of harbinger of these conditions.

It is not yet very clear what is primary, but perhaps the fear of the unknown, like mental disorders, is due to the structure of the brain.

We inherit fear

We learn the habit of giving in to the unknown in the family, like many other behavioral patterns. With their reactions, words, emotions, parents form a picture of the world of children, model their behavior and attitude to life. Studies show that anxious and overprotective parents also have children prone to anxiety. And it is closely related to the fear of the unknown, including at the level of neurophysiology - perhaps the same parts of the brain are responsible for them.

Here is a fairly common situation: parents, despite a small salary, have worked in one place all their lives, more than anything else they are afraid of losing it. Children of these parents learn to hold on to work and to lose it is a disaster. And then they carry the same constant anxiety, the same fear of change and the unknown, the fear of trying themselves in a new business.

Thinking mistakes are to blame

Cognitive biases were first discussed back in the 1970s by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. These are deviations in perception, thinking and behavior that are associated with emotions, stereotypes and prejudices, with incorrect analysis of information and the structure of the human brain. The most dangerous thing about cognitive biases is that they are not easy to track down - so well they mimic the usual thought process. The fear of the unknown is closely related to several of these "bugs".

The ambiguity effect

We would rather prefer a modest, but known in advance, than risk getting more without any guarantees. And the ambiguity effect is to blame for this.

In one experiment, two buckets of colored balls were placed in front of the participants. In the first there were 50 red and 50 black balls, and for the second, the color ratio remained a mystery. It was necessary to choose a bucket and bet on color.

If a person guessed correctly, he received $ 100, and if he was wrong, he did not receive anything and did not lose anything. Participants were more likely to choose the first bucket where the probability of winning and the risk of losing were known. Although the probability of winning when choosing the second bucket could well be higher - for example, if all the balls in it were of the same color.

This effect works not only in experiments, but also in real life.

We would rather choose a job with a small but stable salary than one where only a percentage of sales or profits are paid. Although in the second case, the income can be significantly higher. And we’re more likely to go home the long, but familiar road than we dare to try a new path - perhaps a shorter and more convenient one. By the way, such a situation, when an unfamiliar road seems more difficult and longer familiar, has a separate name - the well traveled road effect.

Deviation towards the status quo

This cognitive trap is somewhat similar to the ambiguity effect. A person wants everything to remain as it is, that is, to maintain the status quo (status quo). Even if the current state of affairs does not suit him very much.

During the experiment, participants were asked to choose health insurance, investment instruments, or, most prominently, a candidate for the post of politician. It turned out that people would rather re-elect someone who already holds this position than risk giving a new candidate a chance.

Lack of information is also to blame here - as in the case of the ambiguity effect. But not only him.

There is also the fear of change, the fear of taking responsibility and “loss aversion”: it is easier for us to come to terms with the fact that we will not receive a thousand rubles than with the fact that we will lose this money. The same titmouse in the hand instead of a crane in the sky.

The Ownership Effect and the Appeal to Tradition

Among the cognitive biases that make us fear the unknown is the "ownership effect." Because of him, what we already have, we value more than what we could get. And “appeal to tradition” is the case when it seems to us that familiar and well-known approaches are better than new ones.

For example, we think that during a cold (and especially if a child is sick) we need to wrap ourselves in three blankets, close all the windows, eat and breathe a lot over a saucepan of hot water - because this is what our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers did. Meanwhile, doctors give completely different recommendations.

But fear can be adjusted

The first step is to admit that you are afraid and that this is not your fault. Fear is not weakness or passivity, but an integral part of our personality. According to some hypotheses, the fear of the unknown is the "basic fear" that underlies all other fears, as well as anxiety, neurasthenia, and other similar conditions.

So even the most decisive volitional effort will not be able to drive him out. But you can adapt to it.

For example, to make the unknown become known. In other words, collect information. Let's say you want to write a book, but it doesn't go further than daydreaming. It's very scary! You are probably tormented by many questions. How to work out the characters, how to make a plan, how to stay motivated, where to look for support? What happens when you finish the manuscript: do you have a chance of getting into a publisher, how much will you get paid, and what to do to make the book sell well?

Try to find answers to these questions - read books and articles about writing, sign up for literary courses, and chat with more experienced authors. The chosen business will cease to seem like a huge, impregnable mountain peak shrouded in fog. And the fear will recede.

This scheme - to collect as much information as possible and draw up a detailed step-by-step plan - works not only in creativity, but in any other situation that scares us.

Do you want to move from the office to freelance, but are you scared to be left without money? You can analyze offers on exchanges, talk to more experienced freelancers, and do self-education.

Are you afraid of moving to another city? But what if you communicate in city groups, find out all the pros and cons of living in a new place and find a job, a clinic and a gym in advance? And at the same time, new acquaintances: suddenly someone, like you, wants to move, but cannot decide.

Thus, with the help of knowledge, tools and algorithms, you can eliminate the mistakes of thinking - and become a little bolder.