optimistic bias
our risk is less than others, e.g. It won't happen to ME!
false sense of control
control makes us feel safe BUT 36,560 Americans died in car accidents in 2018 compared to
381 Americans killed in aviation accidents
unclear cultural cues
When we hear different information from different sources we struggle to decide who to believe
confirmation bias
We tend to only seek confirming evidence. When deciding if it is safe to dine outside what do we
search for online?
exposure therapy
Risk actually doesn't change, we just get used to taking the risk.
What influences our perception of risk?
Vaccinations: 1 in three parents with a child under 18 was worried about vaccines and one in
four was concerned about the value and safety of vaccines in general
Evidence tells us that vaccines do not cause autism, diabetes, asthma or other major afflictions
What does cognitive science tell us about risk?
-When making decisions we subconsciously weigh risks and benefits
-If an action seems to offer little benefit the risk automatically seems bigger
Example of polio vaccinations
-In the 1950s the risk felt smaller (it was actually larger) because there was a clear benefit to
receiving the vaccine
-Other studies have shown that if a risk is imposed upon someone it feels scarier than if the risk
is voluntary
Can reason overcome instinct?
-No, the neural roots of fear are a complex interplay of slower, conscious reason
-Quicker, subconscious emotion and instinct leads to feeling first and thinking second
The Emotional Brain (Ledoux)
- the wiring of the brain at this point in our evolutionary history is such that connections from the
emotional systems to the cognitive systems are stronger than connections from the cognitive
systems to the emotional systems
risk/perception gap
-the production of risk perceptions that don't match the evidence
-E.g. fear of vaccines, non-fear of sun tanning
