Uncertain

Get in the xigxag app
This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.
Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }}
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

How much do we rely upon certainty? And, how does the way we deal with uncertainty impact our future and our lives?

Uncertainty is one of the defining issues of our time. Certainty has a habit of slipping away, further into our futures and we now have to deal with the uncertainties of our present, every day. The stability we once had is disappearing, and fast. Vast changes in society are shifting our realities: An earth-shaking global pandemic, changing attitudes and approaches to employment, with an increase in freelance and temporary work undermines people's ability to plan for the future. And, there is an ever decreasing sense of trust in what was once hallowed: the government, the media, education, religion, medicine. Instead, we use the internet which provides us with a wave of conflicting advice.

When we can no longer make sense of the world together, insecurity takes over. We develop anxiety and confusion about our purpose, and in searching for certainty find it in autocratic leaders and populism. Democracy begins to fade as our uncertainty grows.

If we are aware of our need for certainty, and understand why we behave instinctively in the way that we do, we can better understand how to deal with stress and pressure. We can start to make decisions that aren't informed by anxiety. We can shed light not only on historical trends but understand how we change those trends forever, for a better future.

©2023 Arie Kruglanski (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • We now live in a whitewater world of unpredictability. Change occurs at a rate that the human mind is not prepared for. Arie Kruglanski’s groundbreaking book is the place to go to discover how to embrace uncertainty and turn the stress of whitewater to your growth and benefit

    Martin Seligman, author of The Hope Circuit

  • One of my very favorite psychologists in the world tackles a subject that is both timeless and timely. Drawing on four decades of research and reflection, Arie Kruglanski shows us that though uncertainty is inevitable, how we react to it is not

    Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of Grit

  • This is the book we’ve been waiting for. With his tremendous spirit, wit, knowledge, and wisdom, Kruglanski give us a book that helps us understand and navigate the uncertain world we live in. It’s both based on science and filled with humanity-with deep compassion and benevolent guidance. It is a book for our time

    Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

  • If you’re not sure if you need this book, then you do. Original, insightful, and thought-provoking, the world’s expert on the psychology of uncertainty reveals what science can tell us about our lives on the razor’s edge

    Daniel Gilbert, author of the New York Times bestseller Stumbling on Happiness

  • I enthusiastically recommend “Uncertain.” Arie Kruglanski is one the most prolific writers in modern psychological science. Here, he explores the relationship that we, as humans, have with uncertainty. He presents his fascinating research program on need for closure. His writing is deep, full of humor, and so many great stories of people who sought too much (or at times, too little) certainty. The book further provides a guide for developing self-insights into your own need for closure, so that you make better decisions in life. If there’s anything I’m certain about, is that you’ll love it

    Ayelet Fishbach, author of Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation

More from the same

Narrator

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.