Tolerance to uncertainty, a key to living

If there is something certain in life, it is that we are not certain of anything or very little, to break the paradox as Descartes would say.. Even so, in Western society the idea is constantly promoted that it is possible to keep everything under control and that we must find specific and quick solutions for everything. An attribute that is decisive for adaptation is not cultivated: tolerance to uncertainty.

Tolerance to uncertainty is precisely that ability to deal with the lack of certainties and solutions. immediate. Although we always try to solve everything and find an answer, the truth is that this is impossible. Sometimes answers and solutions come only with time. Others are simply impossible to find. Humanity does not know everything. What’s more, what we don’t know far exceeds what we know.

Put that way, we all agree and understand that it is so. Something else happens in practice. There are many people who find it virtually impossible to tolerate uncertainty. The restlessness invades themeven irritation, when they feel without a solid and broad pillar to lean on.

Lack of tolerance for uncertainty

People who have no tolerance for uncertainty have the need of experiencing something known as cognitive shutdown. This concept is what we commonly call “the last word.” There are people who need things to be defined once and for all. Either yes, or no. Or white, or black.

This characteristic causes them to experience a lot of stress when that does not happen. Cognitive closure implies certainty. “Do you like me or not?” They want an absolute yes or no for an answer. They have a hard time understanding that the most realistic answer might be “Yes and no.”

For those who have no tolerance for uncertainty, paradoxes and ambiguities are unacceptable. They do not see it as a reality that takes place, but as a lie, a deception or a mechanism to cover up the truth. The bad news for them is that it could be said, almost with certainty, that practically everything in humans is ambiguous.

The effects of lack of tolerance for uncertainty

The lack of tolerance for uncertainty is often the result of a simplification of reality. The hypotheses regarding what happens are very limited. It’s either one or the other. There are difficulties in making conjectures and deriving new hypotheses from them or simply accepting that it is not possible to understand, at least for the moment.

They do not perceive that, for example, the same event can be the result of many different circumstances.. If someone is not interested in reading, it may not only be because they are negligent or uneducated. Within your subjectivity there could be a thousand reasons for you to act this way.

Therefore, The lack of tolerance for uncertainty usually also includes a lack of empathy. The world is seen only on one’s own terms. This makes it very difficult to accept differences, since it seems that “the right thing” must be expressed as a consensus. Furthermore, it is believed that for a group, family, community or couple to work, the members must completely agree on everything.

Manifestations of tolerance for uncertainty

Tolerance to uncertainty manifests itself as the ability to accept the nonexistence of a specific answer.. In those who possess this attribute, anxiety or restlessness does not appear when the answer does not appear instantly. They simply accept it and move forward with the elements that matter, focusing on solving what they do understand and being attentive to new elements that arise to help them elucidate what is really happening.

Another characteristic of those who have cultivated tolerance for uncertainty is to carefully analyze the facts.. They do not stop at appearance, but try to go deeper. Precisely for this reason, they discover that things can be more complex than they appear. Therefore, they understand that it is difficult to reach definitive answers or certainties.

Curiously, People with a lower tolerance for uncertainty are more confident in their judgments and decisions when they come to make them.. On the other hand, those who have developed a high tolerance take longer and hesitate more before acting. Even so, they tolerate conflict and difference much better and tend to have better relationships with others.

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