4 ms·
> Why do even unusually numerate people fear illness, car accidents, and bogeymen, and take safety measures, but not bother to look up statistics on the relativ
by ketchupdebugger 3y ago
> Why do even unusually numerate people fear illness, car accidents, and bogeymen, and take safety measures, but not bother to look up statistics on the relative risks?
Its all about the impact of the outcomes. No one is fearing stepping on a lego brick. Getting seriously ill or getting seriously injured in a car accident can be ruinous health wise as well as financially. They are serious implications. Some never recover from illness or car accident. You'll recover from stepping on a lego though ;)
- nmca 3y agoYou're missing the point, all the things are very bad but have very different relative risks.
- pixl97 3y agoNo, I don't think this is a great example... Car accidents are something directly under your control if you're a driver and your choices dramatically affect your chances of getting in one. Fear of these events can change your behavior thereby changing the occurrence profile you fit under.
- JohnFen 3y ago> No one is fearing stepping on a lego brick. No one? When my kids were little and lego bricks were hiding everywhere, I lived in overt fear of stepping on them in the middle of the night. It's why I developed a habit of wearing hard-soled slippers at home, even to this day.
- andsoitis 3y agoYou weren’t fearing your life, merely pain avoiding.