Maya Shankar

Uncertainty Threatens Both Our Plans and Our Sense of Self

Cognitive scientist Maya Shankar and author Simone Stolzoff argue that uncertainty is painful not only because it obstructs planning, but because it can destabilize the identities people use to understand themselves. Their case is not for treating fear or loss as inherently beneficial: rather, they say people can navigate upheaval by anchoring themselves in values and relationships that outlast a role, naming what they feel and acting before certainty arrives.