Uncertainty enhances our experiences, making the pleasant experiences more pleasant and the unpleasant even more unpleasant. This has been demonstrated in a series of studies by Bar-Anan, Wilson, & Gilbert (2009) in which feelings of uncertainty were shown to heighten positive and negative experiences respectively. This the authors claim to be the first studies to show that uncertainty intensifies affective reactions (our positive and negative experiences).

Uncertainty Define:

• Uncertainty has been defined as “the state of an organism that lacks information about whether, where, when, how, or why an event has occurred or will occur (Knight, 1921).” (Bar-Anan, Wilson, & Gilbert, 2009, p. 123)
• “Uncertainty has both an informational component (a deficit in knowledge) and a subjective component (a feeling of not knowing; Smith & Washburn, 2005).” (Bar-Anan, Wilson, & Gilbert, 2009, p. 123)

Studies (procedures):
Four studies were conducted. In each of them participants watched varying combination of a positive film clip, a negative film clip, and/or a neutral film clip. Each participant was assigned to one of two groups: (1) One group was instructed to say out loud a set of comments that express uncertainty (“I wonder,” “I’m curious,” & “I’m not sure what is happening”). (2) The other group was instructed to express certainty (“I see,” “I understand,” & “I see what’s happening”). At the end they were all asked a series of questions to evaluate their experiences.

Results:

• “Participants in the uncertain condition rated the positive films more positively and the negative films more negatively than did participants in the certain condition.” (Bar-Anan, Wilson, & Gilbert, 2009, p. 124)
• In addition, participants in the uncertainty condition were significantly more curious about the films they were watching.
• “The psychological effects of uncertainty may have less to do with what people do not know than with what people feel.” (Bar-Anan, Wilson, & Gilbert, 2009, p. 126)

Wilson’s Pleasure Paradox:
“People want to reduce uncertainty about positive events, so that they can increase the likelihood that the events will recur, but by so doing, they may unintentionally spoil the pleasure the events bring.” (Bar-Anan, Wilson, & Gilbert, 2009, p. 126) In other words if you want to re-experience positive events you may be faced with a paradox. First, you need to know more about the event(s) that helped to bring about your positive experience, so you can intentionally cause them to re-occur. The downside is that this reduces uncertainty and increases certainty. By doing so you may reduce the pleasure you get from the same positive event because now you feel more certain.

My Conclusion & Questions: It is not about what we know but how what we know makes us feel. So if knowing more makes you feel more certain then knowing less is more if you want to maximize positive experiences. On the other hand, knowing more is less if you want to minimize the impact negative experiences have on you. So when something bad happens we should become as certain as possible about why it happened to minimize the negative affective impact and when good things happen we might not want to know too much to keep uncertainty high and therefore feel more pleasant.
But how would a saying such as, “The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know,” fit into these findings? It is certainly possible to gain a sense of certainty by learning more about a particular event and the accompanying experience. At the same time the answer to one question can very well become the breeding ground for many new questions and bring about a new form of uncertainty (this may depend on one’s level of curiosity). Which begs the question if there is a qualitative difference among different types of uncertainties? Such as a basic more rudimentary form of uncertainty and a more localized/specific uncertainty. And if so how differently may these impact our affective experiences?

Bar-Anan, Y., Wilson, T. D., & Gilbert, D. T. (2009). The feeling of uncertainty intensifies affective reactions. Emotion, 9(1), 123-127. [free full text PDF]

Abstract:

Uncertainty has been defined as a lack of information about an event and has been characterized as an aversive state that people are motivated to reduce. The authors propose an uncertainty intensification hypothesis, whereby uncertainty during an emotional event makes unpleasant events more unpleasant and pleasant events more pleasant. The authors hypothesized that this would happen even when uncertainty is limited to the feeling of “not knowing,” separable from a lack of information. In 4 studies, the authors held information about positive and negative film clips constant while varying the feeling of not knowing by having people repeat phrases connoting certainty or uncertainty while watching the films. As predicted, the subjective feeling of uncertainty intensified people’s affective reactions to the film clips.

Related posts:

1. Timothy Wilson
2. Anticipating One’s Troubles
3. The Surprising Power of Neighborly Advice

e-mail: tkashdan[at]gmu.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS: positive psychology, curiosity, positive emotions, personal strengths, interpersonal relationships, the assessment & cultivation of well-being, gratitude, meaning & purpose in life, anxiety disorders, and self-regulation.

TEACHING: Professor Kashdan teaches Abnormal Psychology and Science of Well-Being and Character Strengths at George Mason University’s undergraduate psychology program and also Psychopathology within the graduate clinical psychology program.

BIOGRAPHY

CURRICULUM VITAE

DEGREES:
B.S., Cornell University, Human Service Studies, 1996
M.A., University at Buffalo, Clinical Psychology, 2000
Ph.D., University at Buffalo, Clinical Psychology, 2004

WEBSITES:
Curious? – This is Todd’s blog over at the Psychology Today website
todd.kashdan – Todd’s yellow new home on the web (second only to his twitter residence)
Faculty page – the academic side of Todd with all his publications and so forth
Positive Psychology News Daily Interview: Part 1 & Part 2

Twitter: http://twitter.com/toddkashdan

VIDEOS
Afternoon of Mind-Body Wellness: Todd Kashdan (2010)
Introduction to Curious? (Jan 23, 2009)
Short clip of Todd teaching (May 19, 2009)
Todd on curiosity at happier.com (Sep 16, 2009)

BOOKS
Sheldon, K. M., Kashdan, T. B., & Steger, M. F. (forthcoming, 2010) (Eds.). Designing the future of positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward. Oxford University Press.
Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Curious?: Discovering the missing ingredient to a fulfilling life. New York, NY: William Morrow. [Audible]

SCIENTIFIC AND SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS (complete list)
Kashdan, T. B., Mishra, A., Breen, W. E., & Froh, J. J. (2009). Gender differences in gratitude:  Examining appraisals, narratives, the willingness to express emotions, and changes in psychological needs. Journal of Personality, 77(3), 1-40. [free full text PDF]

Related posts:

1. Kennon M. Sheldon
2. Robert A. Emmons
3. Positive Psychology Lecture 1 by Tal Ben-Shahar