I don't think it's that. People like to think that they are special, because there is a certain pain in acknowledging that one's whole existence is unimportant

I don't think it's that. People like to think that they are special, because there is a certain pain in acknowledging that one's whole existence is unimportant and mundane. So we imagine some bad guy is out there trying to blow us up. Dying from too many cheeseburgers is totally unsexy, and as a bonus implies that there may be consequences to doing what we want all the time. Booooooriiiing.