The Uncertainty Toolkit

What can an ex-gangland boss, a recovering addict and a refugee teach us about how to thrive in the face of uncertainty?

In The Uncertainty Toolkit the experiences of an unlikely group of uncertainty experts combine with the results of the world’s most extensive study into how we tolerate uncertainty to create a roadmap for coping with the unknown.

This groundbreaking book shows not only how to manage uncertainty, but how to harness its power and transform it into opportunities for growth and creativity. Based on cutting-edge research from UCL’s Brain Science department, and written by a cognitive scientist and an award-winning journalist, it unveils a roadmap for better mental health and a measurably increased tolerance for the unknown. The authors have led the world’s most extensive study – also a Netflix-backed online course-cum-documentary – into how to increase Uncertainty Tolerance, and this book includes tests to measure your own, and track its improvement as you read.

Chapters include practical exercises, compelling narratives from unlikely ‘uncertainty experts’ including prisoners, former addicts, refugees and hostages, and insights into pioneering scientific techniques.

The book unveils a roadmap for better mental health, enhanced decision-making, increased tolerance for the unknown, and a profound understanding of how the mind and body interact. It is an invaluable guide for anyone seeking to do more and worry less in our complex and ever-changing world.

About the Author

Katherine Templar Lewis is a cognitive scientist, neuroscience consultant and science communicator. Affiliated with several top academic institutions, Katherine helps scientists find innovative real-world applications for their work and translates cutting-edge research into the public domain. She teaches at UCL and Goldsmiths University, and often appears as an expert across media channels, including Sky, BBC, NBC, The TODAY show, and Radio 4 and contributes to a range of magazines including VICE and HuffPost.

Sam Conniff is an author, speaker and the founder of award-winning socially responsible creative agency Livity. Sam was the author of the international bestseller Be More Pirate (Penguin Random House UK; Simon and Schuster US, 2018). Winner of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year and a Big Society Award, Sam has worked with numerous companies, including Channel 4, Google and Barclays.

Together, Sam and Katherine created The Uncertainty Experts, an interactive digital self-development experience that brings together neuroscientists from UCL with producers from Netflix. They live in London.