Change is good... you go first! Why are we so resistant to change - fearful of change - even when we know the current way of doing things isn't working?
Change is inevitable. Yet, whether it’s starting a new job, moving to a new city, or adopting a new habit, change is part of life. And yet, many of us resist change —even when it's for the better.
We’ve been grappling with the concept of change since 500 BC. Everyone recognizes names like Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, but Heraclitus is a lesser-known philosopher. Heraclitus was known as the weeping philosopher because he was so sad and lonely. Little is known about his early life and education, but Heraclitus held three pretty profound views:
(1) Everything is constantly changing.
(2) Opposite things are identical.
(3) Everything is and is not at the same time.
In other words, Heraclitus made the assertion that "life is flux" (panta rhei in Greek, meaning all things change). One of his more notable ideas was that ever-present change is the fundamental essence of the universe.
"No man ever steps in the same river twice. The river is never the same river twice; the man is never the same man twice"
Why we have an innate fear of change
Growing research from cognitive sciences reveals that change really is hard for us. Our brains react to new experiences more often than not with fear. We are creatures of habit and we're hardwired to default to the familiar rather than the unknown.
Our brain has naturally evolved to seek out certainty and avoid threats. So, when change is introduced, it’s both uncertain and threatening. Even if intellectually, we know that the change could be a good thing, the brain automatically goes into code red.
"People don't resist change. People resist being changed!" Peter Senge.
Resistance to change comes from a few specific forces:
1. Fear of the unknown. Even if the known is scary, the unknown is always scarier.
2. Hardwired habits. Habits are powerful and efficient. We tend to do what we’ve always done because that is comfortable. We have the hidden brain or the basal ganglia to thank for that.
To understand what is happening upstairs when you’re struggling with change, you have to know about the basal ganglia, the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex is where all your executive functioning happens. Because it handles all of the big thinking, it burns a lot of fuel, or glucose. Glucose isn’t stored in the brain and it’s expensive for the body to produce. While we’d all like to think the prefrontal cortex is in charge most of the time, it requires too much energy to operate constantly. We rely on the basal ganglia to handle many of our everyday tasks.
Where the prefrontal cortex is a glucose hog, the basal ganglia sips it slowly. This is because the habitual, repetitive tasks that we do without even thinking about it – brushing your teeth, tying your shoes, typing an email – take much less mental energy and much less glucose. Many of our daily activities, including many of our work habits, require very little conscious thought and the more routine they are the more hardwired they are in the brain.
When the brain senses a change, it switches off the autopilot and wakes the prefrontal cortex up to deal with the uncertainty. Consequently, the prefrontal cortex triggers the amygdala to be on standby for fight or flight. That tug of war between the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex explains why we hate change.
Doing what we’ve always done is far more comfortable and takes far less energy than tackling the unknown.
Your Brain Loves Predictability
The brain is a prediction machine. It thrives on routines and patterns because they conserve energy. Change disrupts these patterns, requiring your brain to work harder to adapt. This uncertainty can trigger a stress response, making change feel uncomfortable.
Your Brain Fears the Unknown
The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for processing fear, goes into overdrive when faced with uncertainty. It interprets change as a potential threat, even when logically, we know it’s not.
Loss Aversion
We’re wired to prefer avoiding loss over acquiring gains. Change often involves leaving behind something familiar, which can feel like a loss—even if the change promises greater rewards in the future.
Challenge your Comfort Zone
Our comfort zone isn’t just a metaphor—it’s a psychological state where everything feels familiar and manageable. Stepping outside of it activates a survival instinct, even when growth lies on the other side.
How to Make Change Easier
Understanding your brain’s resistance is the first step. Here’s how to make change easier:
✅ Take Small Steps: Break the change into manageable parts. Gradual progress feels less overwhelming and helps your brain adjust.
✅ Focus on the Positive: Remind yourself of the benefits of the change. Visualizing the rewards can help override fear-based thinking.
✅ Create New Routines: Replace old patterns with new ones to rebuild a sense of predictability.
✅ Practice Self-Compassion: Change is hard. Be kind to yourself during the transition. Celebrate small wins along the way.
Change may always feel uncomfortable at first, but with patience and persistence, your brain can adapt. Remember, growth happens when you step out of the familiar and into the new.
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