Nir And Far: Business, Behaviour and the Brain

Finding Your Footing When The Ground Shifts Beneath You

7 snips

Jul 28, 2025

Unexpected life changes can leave us feeling lost and overwhelmed. The podcast delves into the emotional effects of crises, like job loss and health scares, urging reflection on core values. It introduces the 'selfish brain' concept, highlighting its role during grief. Embracing grief is positioned as a path to healing, while cultivating optimism empowers us in tough times. The discussion emphasizes resilience through values, goal-setting, and fostering social support to navigate uncertainty and build a meaningful life.

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ANECDOTE

Sudden Life Disruptions

Imagine losing your job unexpectedly or receiving a life-altering diagnosis during a routine visit.
These sudden shocks force your brain into survival mode, overwhelming your sense of certainty.

INSIGHT

The Selfish Brain in Survival

Our brain prioritizes its own energy needs during uncertainty, reducing oxygen and glucose to the rest of the body.
This evolved survival response is harmful when uncertainty extends over longer periods.

ADVICE

Honor Grief Before Action

Honor your grief and accept the reality of loss before trying to fix things.
Grieving is vital for true transformation and recovery, not a sign of weakness.

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Imagine this: You walk into work on a normal Tuesday, coffee in hand, only to be called into an emergency all-hands meeting. Your division is being dissolved.

Or perhaps your phone alerts you to another presidential directive that threatens your livelihood or community.

Or a routine doctor’s visit turns into a life-altering diagnosis, and treatments and medical appointments take the place of canceled plans.

Or you stare at the remains of your home after a natural disaster tore through your region.

In an instant, everything changes. Your carefully laid plans evaporate. The future becomes a blur. Your brain, in its protective wisdom, either goes into overdrive or shuts down completely.

These scenarios have become increasingly common. When radical change strikes, most of us experience the sensation of having the rug pulled out from under us—whether through job loss, natural disaster, or events beyond our control.

When our world transforms abruptly, our brains shift into survival mode, triggering the fight-or-flight response. While this reaction evolved to address immediate threats, it becomes problematic during extended periods of uncertainty, taking a significant physical toll. Research on “the selfish brain” reveals that our nervous system, attempting to minimize uncertainty, prioritizes energy flow to itself at the expense of the rest of the body, reducing oxygen and glucose delivery elsewhere.

But when our instincts push us toward panic or paralysis, what actions should we take instead? Behavioral science offers a path from overwhelm to stability.

You can read the Nir And Far blog post on: Finding Your Footing When The Ground Shifts Beneath You ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Nir And Far, a podcast about business, behaviour and the brain by Nir Eyal. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe on iTunes and leave an iTunes review. It will greatly help new listeners discover the show. Please visit my website Nir and Far for other info about my writing, books and teaching: ⁠⁠http://www.nirandfar.com/