WHY WE RESIST CHANGE? - It’s the Brain’s Bias for the Familiar

As a Leadership & Organisational Psychology Consultant, I work at the intersection of neuroscience and behaviour, helping leaders translate this understanding into cultures where change becomes less about fear, and more about growth.

Our brains are wired to prefer the familiar, not because we’re resistant to progress, but because the familiar feels safe.

It’s been tested. It worked before. It kept us alive, employed, accepted.

In organisations, that same wiring shows up when teams resist new systems, leadership styles, or culture shifts. The brain sees “unfamiliar” and flags it as uncertain, and uncertainty feels unsafe.

When leaders understand this, they stop taking resistance personally and start designing change more intelligently.

Real transformation happens when we make the unfamiliar feel safe enough for new evidence to form.