the.com/risk perception
the gut's terrible math, overruling the calculator every single time.
means the psychological process by which people judge how dangerous something is, based on feeling far more than fact.
from coined by psychologists in the 1960s-70s, notably paul slovic, studying why people fear nuclear plants more than car crashes despite the numbers saying otherwise.
dread factoruncontrollable, unfamiliar risks feel worse than familiar ones
availability biasvivid news events warp odds more than statistics do
sharks vs cowscows kill more americans yearly than sharks do
post 9-11 drivingfear of flying killed more people via car crashes
for instance
post 9-11 road deaths — gigerenzer estimated 1,500 extra us traffic deaths from flight avoidance
fukushima aftermath — japan idled nuclear plants, coal deaths likely rose instead
covid mask debates — low individual risk overshadowed by visible, dramatic case counts
shark attack panic — jaws 1975 tanked beach tourism despite near-zero actual danger