The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn't--and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger
Blink meets The Culture of Fear in a provocative look at the new brain science of risk: how hard-wired fears misguide and manipulate us every day.
From terror attacks to the war on terror, real estate bubbles to the price of oil, sexual predators to poisoned food from China, our list of fears is ever-growing. And yet, we are the safest and healthiest humans in history. Irr ...more
From terror attacks to the war on terror, real estate bubbles to the price of oil, sexual predators to poisoned food from China, our list of fears is ever-growing. And yet, we are the safest and healthiest humans in history. Irr ...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
July 17th 2008
by Dutton Adult
(first published 2008)
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If I had to come up with one word to describe this book it would be 'insightful.' The author cites study after study that shows how humans in general allow their gut to control their decisions and thinking. I often found myself thinking "Well, that doesn't apply to me" or "That's not how I look at it," before I realized that I am pretty much the same as the subjects in these studies. While people don't see themselves as biased by their gut or fear-tactics, we all certainly ar ...more
This book explores what causes anxiety in humans and then applies a basic theoretical scheme Gut vs Head to explore the role of fear in a variety of topics such as disease and terrorism. The argument is basically this: we live better now than we ever have before and the things we ought to fear we don't (disease caused by obesity), and the things we don't we rationally shouldn't (child abduction, getting blown up by a terrorist). The argument is forceful and it's hard to argue with the numbers. ...more
This book starts out well - describing the psychology of how people evaluate risk, and how come we are often so bad at it. One great example from the September 11 attacks. If there had been a single attack of similar magnitude every month for a year, then a person's risk of dying in an attack would be 1 in 7,750. In one year, a person has a 1 in 6,498 chance of dying in a car accident. So our billions of dollars spent on anti-terrorism measures would have been better spent trying to find way ...more
We fear plane crashes more than driving, AIDS more than the flu, vaccination more than the disease itself. Each one of these fears is demonstrably irrational, and yet our brains cling to them because we fear the dramatic, the immediate and the near at hand more than the insidious, the delayed and the far away. Gardner's other point is that we've evolved for good reason to think -- or react -- in this way. The dramatic, the immediate and the near at hand means a saber-tooth tiger, and it made ...more
The title of Daniel Gardner’s book is a bit misleading as his work is not entirely about the science of fear, but rather about the psychology or social science of fear. If you’re expecting to learn about brain chemistry in perilous situations or the physiological components of fight or flight, look elsewhere.
However, if you want a studied discussion on the cultural origins, implications and consequences of fear, then The Science of Fear will give you no reasons to complain. Gard ...more
However, if you want a studied discussion on the cultural origins, implications and consequences of fear, then The Science of Fear will give you no reasons to complain. Gard ...more
I needed this book. It helped clarify aspects of human nature that always seemed a bit bedazzling to me. It was like a good dose of common sense. It starts with taking into account human-kind's long evolutionary history, the book can be summed up thus, that we are information-overloaded modernists with the bodies and psychology of stone-age humans. This dynamic poses some interesting dilemmas, namely that the things that worked to promote survival for the Neanderthal are not easily adaptable t ...more
Gardner central question is this: considering that Americans are living better lives than any other humans in history, why are we all afraid of our own shadow? Our life expectancy is off the charts compared to just a few decades ago, and we have unprecedented access to abundant food, health care, and leisure activities. Yet, Gardner claims that we worry unnecessarily about things that are statistically unlikely to happen, and don't think twice about the real threats of the day, like car crashe ...more
I found this book fairly interesting. As the title suggests, it examines how we come to fear various things, and how that fear, most of it irrational, is used against us by various segments of society (not necessarily in a malicious way). I think the book will inherently make one think about why they react and feel about things the way they do. The concepts of evolutionary and behavioral psychology discussed in the book are incredibly fascinating. The book also contains a wealth of informati ...more
Despite the title, this book is not about the "science of fear." Nor is it about psychology.
Rather, the author takes some solid psychological principles, and then draws upon a vast number of examples to show that people fear things they should not; and do not fear things they should.
The strength of this book is in the wealth of (well-researched) examples; it's a very enjoyable read, and provides some good conversation points. It is not, however, scientific (and ...more
Rather, the author takes some solid psychological principles, and then draws upon a vast number of examples to show that people fear things they should not; and do not fear things they should.
The strength of this book is in the wealth of (well-researched) examples; it's a very enjoyable read, and provides some good conversation points. It is not, however, scientific (and ...more
Nov 12, 2009
Russell
rated it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Worriers
Recommended to Russell by:
Philitsa
Shelves:
makemesmarter
After years of trying to figure out why I think news reporting is bullshit, and advertising is bullshit, and politicians are full of bullshit, I finally have some reference material to actively back up my instincts. This book confirms something that I think we all sense, but don't have the context to express. Life should not be such a scary thing, but there are a whole lot of people with a whole lot of vested interest in convincing us otherwise.
Only two problems with the book. First, ...more
Only two problems with the book. First, ...more
I really struggled with reviewing this book because I enjoyed it s thoroughly that I didn't know where to start. So as a heads up, this review meanders a bit...
I loved this book for a many reasons, all of which stem from the fact that it validated a lot of my otherwise unsubstantiated opinions of modern politics and media, and why so many people with half a brain feel so disaffected by them both. I also loved it because it spoke a lot about the actual science behind the psychology ...more
I loved this book for a many reasons, all of which stem from the fact that it validated a lot of my otherwise unsubstantiated opinions of modern politics and media, and why so many people with half a brain feel so disaffected by them both. I also loved it because it spoke a lot about the actual science behind the psychology ...more
A really, really, really thought provoking book. For me to actually finish a non-fiction book that isn’t a story about some specific event or person is a small miracle but this book definitely held my interest.
The author explores how people make decisions about what to fear and how it is not always rational. In fact, only under specific circumstances which occur rather infrequently, do we actually have rational fears.
The book caught my interest because of the stats di ...more
The author explores how people make decisions about what to fear and how it is not always rational. In fact, only under specific circumstances which occur rather infrequently, do we actually have rational fears.
The book caught my interest because of the stats di ...more
The premise of The Science of Fear is a good one ...
The human brain has evolved to respond to certain types of threats. Unfortunately, in this age of mass communication, information overload and hype our poor brains are unable to assess risks reported by the media in a meaningful way. As a result we fear - internet predators, school shootings, child abductors, shark attacks, terrorists and other things which statistically represent a minuscule threat to our welfare.
Gardner th ...more
The human brain has evolved to respond to certain types of threats. Unfortunately, in this age of mass communication, information overload and hype our poor brains are unable to assess risks reported by the media in a meaningful way. As a result we fear - internet predators, school shootings, child abductors, shark attacks, terrorists and other things which statistically represent a minuscule threat to our welfare.
Gardner th ...more
Gardner takes a look at the psychology of fear and why we are more fearful today than ever, even though we live in perhaps the safest time in all human history. Introduces reasons that are hard wired into us via evolution and therefore served us well previously, but tend to misinterpret things in the modern world, resulting in erroneous assumptions especially regarding risk.
The central point concerns the two means by which we perceive risk and react accordingly - Gut reaction and hea ...more
The central point concerns the two means by which we perceive risk and react accordingly - Gut reaction and hea ...more
Read this book!
Topic: how we perceive risk
The author explores how our decision making process is biased by a brain hard wired in a stone age environment. All is not lost; in our adaption from the plains of Africa, we also have developed a rational part of our being that compares risks in a quantifiable manner. Quote: "Flexibility became a quintessential trait; The same brain that figured out how to chip flitn into an arrowhead also learned how to keep warm in col ...more
Topic: how we perceive risk
The author explores how our decision making process is biased by a brain hard wired in a stone age environment. All is not lost; in our adaption from the plains of Africa, we also have developed a rational part of our being that compares risks in a quantifiable manner. Quote: "Flexibility became a quintessential trait; The same brain that figured out how to chip flitn into an arrowhead also learned how to keep warm in col ...more
I have to admit that I read this book very quickly, as it was due back at the library last week. However, it was fascinating and really made me think about what we fear and why we fear. The author's premise is that we usually make decisions about fear and risk based on our gut, not on our head, and our gut is not reliable, because it is still operating from 10,000 years ago. For example, 10,000 years ago, if someone said there was a lion over there, it would be better to run away rather than ...more
It took me ages to get through this book but it wasn't because of the material. My life has just been crazy and I found myself too tired to read before going to sleep. Or at least read with enough comprehension of the subject matter.
Perhaps it was a "preaching to the choir" effect but I dug this book a great deal. Gardner explains how our Gut instinct affects our intuition and sometimes overrides our Head logical thought process. Because we're so conditioned to respond ...more
Perhaps it was a "preaching to the choir" effect but I dug this book a great deal. Gardner explains how our Gut instinct affects our intuition and sometimes overrides our Head logical thought process. Because we're so conditioned to respond ...more
As someone who suffers from anxiety and fear problems that can be pretty debilitating at times, it was looking forward to reading this book to see if there were any ideas that could help me recognize and alleviate my fears. Gardner focuses on the psychological aspects of fear, quoting at lengths from researchers and their experiments. While he does bury the reader at times in numbers and studies, he narrows his thesis down to humans having split personalities: the head, thoughtful and rational, ...more
I'm a worrier. I read a lot every day, because of my job, about worrisome things. And reading this book was the equivalent of talking to a really smart, old person -- who knows more about life (and math, and science) than I do. I understand more about why statistics can lie, what things I should worry about (which are mostly preventable), and why I should be skeptical about many of the things I read.
I think, mostly, and maybe this is because I read it at the right time, I agree with wh ...more
I think, mostly, and maybe this is because I read it at the right time, I agree with wh ...more
The Science of Fear covers many areas that have people scared: pedophiles, kidnappers, terrorists, nuclear holocaust, global warming, and virtually everything in between is covered.
Gardner discusses the scientific explanation for why our brains latch onto extremely unlikely but terrifying possibilities, and why we tend to ignore the much more likely but less exotic. The science presented is sound, well-backed by studies and experiments.
Gardner also explores the reasons w ...more
Gardner discusses the scientific explanation for why our brains latch onto extremely unlikely but terrifying possibilities, and why we tend to ignore the much more likely but less exotic. The science presented is sound, well-backed by studies and experiments.
Gardner also explores the reasons w ...more
Politicians, marketers, activists, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and advertisers of all types follow a simple formula: scare people, then offer to alleviate their fears. How do we separate the imaginary threats from the real ones? How do we find the true story? This book offers great insight into how we actually make decisions...and how our methods of decision-making get us into trouble.
The premise is great. The first few chapters are interesting. And then, the anecdotes keep coming, and coming, and coming. I glossed through the rest. He makes his point early on, then it doesn't really go anywhere else until the last chapter. I think Dr. Gilbert writes a much more interesting explanation of why our brain fears things the way it does in Stumbling on Happiness.
I would give this 4 1/2 stars. It definitely put modern fears into perspective for me. I especially enjoyed the chapter about chemicals. The author uses detailed statistics and research to show how the human brain is "hardwired" to have certain flaws in thinking and reasoning, especially when it comes to our safety. No one is immune, including the author. The media, advertisers, and politicians exploit those flaws, intentionally or unintentionally, and Gardner cites plenty of spec ...more
Sep 16, 2008
Alison
rated it
Recommends it for:
everyone, especially those who are very fearful or interested in psychology
I cannot recommend this book enough. I've been quoting it non-stop since the moment I started reading it. I thought that it was just going to be saying you're afraid of this but what you should really be afraid of this. But it delves into the psychology or fear and how it's used to manipulate you into doing/not doing what ever people want you to do or think.
Also good to know is that anything that you want to do but don't because it's scary or dangerous is probably a lot safer than d ...more
Also good to know is that anything that you want to do but don't because it's scary or dangerous is probably a lot safer than d ...more
Great for learning the many ways we fall into irrational thinking, even if-especially if-we consider ourselves so very rational and logical. Not just about fear, but about many harmful ways we think more with our gut than our head, and how easily we are manipulated and misled because of it. Understand irrational, gullible thinking; think more clearly, rationally and independently.
Interesting insights into how our brains process information. The combined role of our gut reactions to risks or threats and the information we have gathered about said environmental nuisances was fun to explore, although perhaps not as in depth as this. The explanations of various psychological experiments involving decision making was cool.
May 13, 2009
Elaine Nelson
rated it
Shelves:
economics,
environmentalism,
history,
marketing,
politics,
psychology,
science,
sociology,
technology
A sharp little book on the death of Homo Economicus and the problems of understanding risk with our crazy crazy brains, plus a wonderful reminder that we actually live in the best of times in many ways. (He recommends a little tour of an old graveyard, should you doubt this.)
Why we are afraid of the least likely things (plane crashes, serial killers) and not afraid of the likeliest (cancer, suicide). And what the media has to do with it, and how trying to override your Gut instincts by using your Head usually doesn't work.
Good book explaining how we react to an event emotionally affects our assessment of the probability of that event occuring and how others use that assessment to influence our decisions and opinions. Great examples on terrorism, crime and pollution.
Everybody who has ever felt freaked out about the world going to hell in a handbasket needs to read this right away. *It will make everything better, instantly*. Plus a great read. I stayed up late to finish the whole thing in one go.
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"The rather uncomfortable feeling most of us have when we're around snakes is evidence of how this ancient experience continues to influence us today. Throughout the long prehistory of our species and those that preceded it, snakes were a mortal threat. And so we learned our lesson. Others didn't, but that had a nasty habit of dying. So natural selection did its work and the rule--beware of snakes--was ultimately hardwired into every human brain. It's universal. Go anywhere on the planet, examine any culture. People are wary of snakes. Even if--as in the Arctic--there are no snakes. Our primate cousins shared our long experience and they feel the same way: Even monkeys raised in laboratories who have never seen a snake will back away at the sight of one."
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"The safety gap is so large, in fact, that planes would still be safer than cars even if the threat of terrorism were unimaginably worse than it actually is: An American professor calculated that even if terrorists were hijacking and crashing one passenger jet a week in the United States, a person who took one flight a month for a year would have only a 1-in-135,000 chance of being killed in a hijacking--a trivial risk compared to the annual 1-in-6,000 odds of being killed in a car crash."
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