When something feels uncertain about our health, many of us reach for the fastest available answer. A quick search can feel reassuring at first — but for some people, it can also fuel more worry, more checking, and more distress.

In this episode, we explore the psychological need for certainty and how it influences the way people seek health information online. You’ll learn how common online health searching really is, why repeated reassurance-seeking often backfires, and what research shows about the link between uncertainty, anxiety, and compulsive checking.

We look at evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on health anxiety, cyberchondria, and intolerance of uncertainty, and explain why the problem isn’t curiosity itself — but the loop that forms when anxiety meets unlimited information. You’ll also hear how cognitive–behavioural therapy–aligned approaches are shown to help interrupt catastrophic thinking and reduce excessive searching.

Rather than chasing perfect answers, this episode offers a more realistic alternative: moving from seeking certainty to seeking clarity. By the end, you’ll have a clearer framework for recognizing when searching is helping — and when it may be quietly making things harder.

📝 Full transcript, sources, and this episode’s poll are available in The Evidence Edit™ newsletter:
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