Part 4/17:
However, prolonged anxiety is harmful—it burns resources, damages health, and can accelerate aging by stressing the body’s systems. Our state of not knowing what to do in the face of uncertainty creates a biochemical cascade that is energetically costly and damaging if sustained. Consequently, humans are highly motivated to reduce this state of ambiguity by structuring their environment to minimize disruptions, maintain predictability, and sustain positive emotional states.