To understand why change can be stressful, I first need to give a brief biology lesson about how the brain works.
Our brain’s purpose is to keep us alive. To do that, it predominantly relies on two systems: seek reward and avoid threat.
You probably already know about these. The reward system makes us feel good, and includes the release of chemicals such as dopamine and oxytocin. A mild change can be rewarding. We like a bit of novelty – to explore and learn new things.
Our threat or stress response is known as the ‘fight-flight-freeze’ response. Adrenalin and cortisol are released, triggering physiological changes such as increased heart rate and focussed vision. Take a look at this video for more.
Threat is more powerful than reward
The threat response is far more powerful than the reward response. This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view. We can survive without finding food for a while, but it just takes one threat to kill us.
So in order to avoid threats and gain rewards, the brain is constantly on the lookout for changes in our environment. If things are as expected, we feel calm. But if our brain detects change, we are wired to go on alert and assume the worst until proven otherwise.
So it’s frustrating when leaders say their employees should be more resilient when faced with change. They’re human, and our brains are hardwired to see change as threatening. We need to remember and be empathetic to that.