Summary Of Uncertainty, By Daniel Gilbert

According to Daniel Gilbert, a well-known professor of psychology, what we don’t know will hurt us. Gilbert offered an explanation for why in 2009, Americans seemed to be growing unhappier despite relative fiscal luxury. Gilbert said, “..human beings find uncertainty more painful than the things they’re uncertain about.” His point is that ambiguity makes us nervous, which is an assertion that agrees with my own experiences. Uncertainty is a major cause of unhappiness, on both a universal and private scale.
For an example of the former, the situation Gilbert wrote about, in which Americans were,”..smiling less and worrying more.” and “...getting less sleep and smoking more cigarettes…” is in reference to the 2007-08 financial crisis. From Gilbert’s