Difficulty Dealing with Uncertainty May Have Biological Basis

New research suggests the reason some people struggle to cope with uncertainty or the ambiguity of potential future threats may be because an area of their brain is larger than normal. Dartmouth College researchers found that an unusually large striatum, an area of the brain already associated with general anxiety disorder, appears common among those who are intolerant of uncertainty. “Uncertainty and ambiguity of potential future threats are central to understanding the generation of anxiety and anxiety disorders,” said lead author Justin Kim, Ph.D., of Dartmouth College. “Our research suggests a relationship between an individual’s ability to deal with this uncertainty and the volume of gray matter within a specific area of the brain.” Excerpt from Psych Central, read the full article here.