When a person views a photograph of a hairy, looming spider or a slithering snake, scientists observe markers of increased electrical activity in the brain's periaqueductal gray (PAG), suggesting control over fight-or-flight responses. Recent evidence indicates brains mainly operate by prediction, not reaction, seeking to reduce uncertainty to survive and thrive.
Reducing uncertainty is metabolically costly for the brain, signifying distress or exhaustion in intense or prolonged uncertain situations, like political chaos or pandemics. The suffering from foreseeing the future in an uncertain world highlights the brain's hard work.
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