The Myth of Knowing: Science and Soul

Written by Dr. Elizabeth Brewer, PsyD & Dr. Stephen Brewer, MD

Father and Daughter
November 2025

Introduction

In our latest episode of Science & Soul, my father and I explored one of the great illusions of modern life — the myth of knowing.
In medicine and psychology alike, we’re rewarded for answers, yet healing often begins in the space between them. We wanted to explore how curiosity and certainty dance together — in the brain, in the body, and in our shared human search for meaning.

Soul Perspective (Dr. Elizabeth Brewer, PsyD)

We tend to think of curiosity as mental — a spark of interest, a flicker of thought. But research shows it’s far more embodied than that.
Curiosity is a biological signal of openness. When we’re curious, the dopaminergic reward circuit in the brain activates, releasing dopamine that enhances learning, motivation, and memory (Gruber et al., 2014). The hippocampus, our brain’s memory center, literally lights up when curiosity is engaged, priming the system to retain new information more effectively (Gruber et al., 2014).

Certainty, on the other hand, tends to deactivate that exploratory network. It stabilizes, but it also limits. Psychologists call this the need for cognitive closure — the preference for clear, definitive answers, even at the cost of accuracy (Kruglanski et al., 2021). This instinct once kept our ancestors alive, allowing them to act quickly under threat. But in modern life, it often hardens into rigidity — the illusion that safety can be found in being right.

When I sit with clients, I see this play out not just in the mind but in the body. Curiosity feels like breath — wide, rhythmic, alive. Certainty feels like armor — dense, protective, and still. Both have their place. But when certainty stays too long, it becomes stagnation.

In polyvagal terms (Porges, 2011), curiosity only emerges when the body feels safe — when we’ve shifted into the ventral vagal state, where the heart steadies and connection feels possible. When the nervous system relaxes its grip, the mind can open again.

That’s the paradox of healing: the deeper we understand the body’s need for safety, the more we can trust curiosity to lead the way.

Science Perspective (Dr. Stephen Brewer, MD)

In medicine, certainty is both necessary and dangerous. It’s what allows a surgeon to act, a physician to decide, a patient to trust.
But too much certainty can narrow our vision — we stop seeing the person behind the diagnosis.

I’ve practiced long enough to know that the most powerful tool in medicine isn’t always knowledge; it’s presence. The ability to say, “I don’t know yet, but I’m here with you.”
That kind of humility keeps science human.

The brain may crave closure, but the body thrives on balance — a dynamic rhythm between structure and discovery. The healthiest physicians, like the healthiest cells, remain permeable. They know how to let information in and let ego out.

So when my daughter speaks about curiosity lighting up the hippocampus, I think about how that same spark animates good medicine. It’s the energy that turns protocol into care, and data into healing.

The Bridge

When our two voices meet — father and daughter, doctor and therapist — we find that curiosity and certainty are not opposites but partners in rhythm.
Certainty gives shape. Curiosity gives life.
Science offers direction. Soul offers depth.

The myth of knowing falls away when we see that wisdom isn’t about answers — it’s about integration. The head and the heart learning to listen to each other.

Closing Invitation

Curiosity invites us back into relationship — with our bodies, with each other, with the unknown.
It is not the opposite of certainty, but its complement: the exhale after the inhale, the question after the claim.

We invite you to reflect:

• Where in your life are you mistaking control for safety?
• What happens in your body when you admit, “I don’t know”?
• How might curiosity be your next form of courage?

Practices for Reflection

1. The Breath of Not-Knowing: Take three slow breaths, and with each exhale, whisper inwardly, “I don’t have to know yet.”
2. Sensory Curiosity: Choose one simple activity — drinking tea, stepping outside — and experience it with new eyes. Notice texture, sound, scent. Let curiosity lead awareness.
3. Rhythm Practice: Write down two things you feel certain about and two things you’re curious about. Notice how your body feels with each. Practice moving between them gently, like breath.

References

Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ranganath, C. (2014). States of curiosity modulate hippocampus-dependent learning via the dopaminergic circuit. Neuron, 84(2), 486–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2014.08.060

Kruglanski, A. W., Chernikova, M., & Kopetz, C. (2021). The need for closure scale: Its structure and implications. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(2), 197–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220949006

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.