By Stuart Vyse, Psychologist at TimeWorld2021 in Paris. TimeWorld is a global scientific congress. https://timeworldevent.com/2021/en/
It has been said that, as nature abhors a vacuum, human nature abhors uncertainty and absence of meaning. Although we have remarkable powers of perception, we often see order where there is none and think things happen for reasons that cannot be supported by evidence. We invent superstitions and other irrational notions to erase the randomness of the world. People vary in their need for order, control, and tolerance of ambiguity. When asked to simulate the random behavior of a coin flip, humans often fail and are only able to duplicate randomness after extensive training. Yet tolerance of ambiguity is an essential feature of scientific thinking and is associated with greater well-being in stressful situations. Given that the world we face often appears arbitrary and unpredictable, can we learn to live with randomness?
Stuart Vyse est co-auteur de l’ouvrage “ Pourquoi moi ? Le hasard dans tous ses états ", paru aux éditions Belin https://www.belin-editeur.com/pourquoi-moi