Dr Helena Boschi is a psychologist who focuses on applied neuroscience in the workplace. Her particular areas of interest include the brain and behaviour, our emotional and rational neural networks and how to improve our cognitive abilities in order to get the best out of our own and others' brainpower. Helena has investigated the impact of chronic, work-induced stress on brain function and has published a book called Why We Do What We Do  Wiley, 2020 .

Dr Boschi

We naturally resist change because change represents uncertainty - and uncertainty is threatening and painful for a brain that wants to keep us safe and alive. Although many of today's threats are no longer life-or-death situations, our brain still protects us as if they were just that.

When we feel uncertain or anxious, our fight or flight mechanisms are mobilised. Resources are diverted from the frontal lobe area, which we use for higher-level intellectual functioning, and become focused instead on survival.

Our capacity for rational thought is thus diminished, and even when the change is a good idea, we still resist it.

Our response to change may be summarised as follows: