The Science of the Future: What We Fear
We are told for most of our lives to plan for the future—to foresee what could be, and to shape our present to meet it. In fact, that is exactly what we do: spend a majority of our youth planning for what is to come. What is it about the future and varying possibilities that frighten people? Don’t get me wrong, a good mix of planning and hard work can yield a prosperous future for ourselves, but the anticipation of the future is also a double-edged sword, one that rewards some and leaves others in a whirlpool of obsessive planning.
There are multiple approaches that we can take to this seemingly abstract question. It is known that at the origin of humankind, our bodies produced a sensation of fear. This anxiety is meant to protect us, and it is possible that our bodies manufactured a fear of the unknown as a mechanism to keep us wary—-wary of our hostile environment thousands of years ago, and wary of the unknown future todayiewing this distress as a safety mechanism can be somewhat therapeutic. What is it about this that is reassuring to us? Perhaps it is that we may take some blame off of our shoulders, that we are not the cause of our fear. it is a product of our intrinsic design..
Another approach, one that is more arguably representative of today’s challenges, is that mental health can be a leading factor in how we perceive the unknown. Individuals who are facing low self-esteem or have been through traumatic life events tend to feel that coping with life’s challenges is difficult, and therefore have a hard time doing so. But do not fear (ironically). This type of mindset is also easily alterable to a more optimistic outlook. Research has shown that individuals with more open and positive mindsets are better able to adapt to unforeseen challenges in comparison to their peers.
One can conclude that the fear of the future is a combination of multiple aspects of the human experience. Whether it may be biological, evolutionary, or societal, fear can be trained. Our neural flexibility allows us to take difficult tasks and alter them such that we experience less anxiety-inducing thoughts, by replacing them with positive coping mechanisms. If you find yourself fearing the future and what it may bring, I suggest taking a step back, considering what may be the root cause of that anxiety, and working to find alternative outlooks that can be beneficial instead of harmful in your daily life.