THE EXCRUCIATING, CRUSHING, DAMAGING POWER OF UNCERTAINTY

AFTER A YEAR of staying mostly at home, I’ve come to understand certain things about mice. Mice hate open spaces. That’s why they hunker down inside walls and cabinets instead of lounging on the sofa. Exposed environments are quite unpredictable, which makes those spaces seem dangerous.

Unsurprisingly, when a team of researchers placed mice in an open portion of a maze, the rodents scurried for an exit, and neurons provoked by anxiety started popping off like fireworks. “The more anxious the mouse, the more the neurons were activated, and the more likely they were