³⁰Buddhist philosophy, as well as the theory in this book, further suggest another very different way for achieving a reduction in replay and planning, which is nothing else than adopting the philosophical attitudes described in the preceding chapter. Planning how to obtain future rewards is likely to be reduced if future rewards are considered lesser; there is simply not so much incentive anymore in planning for them. Likewise, planning to avoid threats, or worrying, will be reduced if those threats are seen as relatively uncontrollable. Furthermore, when the uncertainty of our thoughts and perceptions is realized, spontaneous thinking is often reduced, since there seems to be much less point in simulating something which is uncertain anyway. This is how adopting the philosophical attitudes discussed in the preceding chapter will also lead to a reduction in simulation, and towards an empty mind. This logic shows how the question of causality regarding emptiness of mind and happiness/suffering is complex. (See also footnote 34 in Chapter 11.) We started this section by pointing out that emptying the mind by meditation often has the effect of making people feel more joyful. Thus, emptying the mind was seen as an intervention that causally reduces suffering. In contrast, the idea that reducing desires reduces (especially wandering) thoughts is in line with some classical Buddhist authors who seem to claim that the emptiness of mind is mainly an effect of mental development, not a cause of happiness (Williams, 2008b, p. 55). In such thinking, reducing desires reduces frustration as discussed in Chapter 16, and an empty mind is just a side-effect. Meanwhile, the discussion on the experiential cognitive style just given could probably be interpreted based on either causal direction; either an experiential style makes the mind empty, or emptying the mind leads to a more experiential style; or perhaps both are effects of the reduction of desires or some similar cause.