DiscoverDharma LabDL Ep.6: The Science of Uncertainty
DL Ep.6: The Science of Uncertainty

DL Ep.6: The Science of Uncertainty

Update: 2025-09-11
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In this week’s podcast, Cort and Richie discuss how fear shrinks our perception, but harnessing awareness widens the lens again. See chapter list below.

In case you missed it, check out a written contextual summary of this podcast here:

Podcast Chapter List

0:00:00 - Intro

2:28:00 - How the brain reacts to uncertainty

7:33:00 - Amygdala activation: narrowing perception to potential threats

8:54:00 - Physical responses to fear and the spiral of anxiety

12:41:00 - Evolutionary origins: the brain as a “change detector”

16:38:00 - Chronic activation: why unresolved threats are unhealthy

17:30:00 - Meditation as mental training for self-awareness

21:40:00 - Lab studies: unknown fears trigger stronger reactions

27:06:00 - When the future is unpredictable: what can we do?

29:01:00 - The elixir of awareness

40:13:00 - Cort and Richie discuss coping with uncertainty

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DL Ep.6: The Science of Uncertainty

DL Ep.6: The Science of Uncertainty

Dharma Lab, Dr. Richard Davidson, and Dr. Cortland Dahl