How to Live Dangerously: The Hazards of Helmets, the Benefits of Bacteria, and the Risks of Living Too Safe

by Warwick Cairns

Warwick Cairns' How to Live Dangerously is a no-nonsense, wonderfully entertaining manifesto on the real dangers of modern life, and an inspiring lesson in why we could all stand to worry a little less and live a whole lot more.


We live in a world governed by fear. Fear of second-hand smoke, bacteria, terrorists, bird flu, nuclear energy. The world isn't as safe a place as it once was, as 78 percent of Americans agree. And yet, life expectancy has never been higher. Crime rates have plunged. Even unintentional injuries are down more than fifty percent from half a century ago. So if we're so safe, why are we so afraid?

How to Live Dangerously is a hilarious, straight-talking look at the things that terrify us. It considers life's real risks, not to mention the often ridiculous methods we've contrived to keep ourselves "safe." It encourages you to ignore fearmongers and embrace a new kind of freedom, in which we all worry a little less―and live a whole lot more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Sociology, Science

161 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2008

Reviews

[Syafiqa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Makes you rethink about safety and human preceptions. We don't take responsibility of our own safety - so when a woman sued McDonald after she put a cup of hot coffee on her lap in the car and spilled, she won?! Authorities make all sorts of regulations to keep people safe. Most amazingly...the Dutch has proven through experiments that in order to make roads safer...it has to be made more dangerous (we really should consider that for our roads!)! Again...love reading this. :) Recommended.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 5* but for the evolutionary speculation about the structure and function of the brain came to be and this from the author of the blog post An Atheist’s Guide to Lucky Pigs [http://bit.ly/y13cw2]! I think the sheer unlikeliness of this explanation of humans so unlikely that I can safely ignore it.
The rest of the book is excellent. One reviewer has described it as a rant but a rant is what is needed. The point does need to be made repeatedly and what is that point? We have been increasingly made to fear death by statistically very unlikely causes like falling off your bicycle to the point where we ignore the statistically proven and far greater benefits of riding the same bike. Worse still perhaps is what we are doing to our children denying them unstructured [by us] and unsupervised play. Kids are getting obese, dysfunctional and unable to assess risk.
Living dangerously is good for you!

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was Cairns rant about how society is going down the tube because fear had overtaken our lives. While he makes some good points and uses many examples to back uo his claims, the book gets tiresome. Pretty much this is his soapbox and it is one long rant against everything causing fear from kidnapping to fast food to death. He discusses how everyone sues everyone else and how likely we are to die from something. It read too much like a rant.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, which was recommended by the author of "Free Range Kids" (which I previously loved and reviewed). The author discusses the paradox of fear within our society--namely that we spend entirely too much time worrying about violent accidents and deaths, to the point that we have created an unsafe world for ourselves and our children by not taking small risks, going outside, playing, and giving freedoms to our children. In the latter, for example, statistics show that we fear boogeymen so much that collectively we don't let our children play outside (at least not without constant supervision!), which stifles them both physically and cognitively, ultimately leading to unhealthy lives that might well lead to their premature deaths from the likes of heart disease and diabetes. This threat is far more statistically likely than that our children will be abducted. The author spoke in-depth about our involvement in media sources, the attachment we let ourselves feel to the few victims out there, and why our brains then begin assuming that violence is the way the entire world works. It just isn't so, however. The book was written in easy, colloquial British style with self-deprecating humor. I recommend it.

Favorite quotes:
"If you experience the world through the television, through the Internet, and through newspapers, you will see a very different world to the one that you actually live in, and you will experience, every single day, all sorts of emotions brought about by dangers that you are never likely to come across in your daily life, even if you should live to be a hundred years old or more."

"Whether we're talking about whether to travel to work by bike or by car, or whether to let our children go out to play, the theme is this: that we overestimate, massively, the risk of a sudden, violent death on the roads or at the hands of bad people, and we underestimate, to a shocking degree, the very real risks to our health, our well-being, and our sanity that we bring upon ourselves and our families through trying to keep away from everything we imagine to be "dangerous." To put it another way: the more we try to avoid danger, the more dangerous life becomes."

"The more immediate and realistic the media, the more you can put names and faces to the people involved, and the more you feel you "know" the victims, the worse it gets, and the more you feel a palpable threat to your own safety and that of your family."

[Marshal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Cairns paints a sobering picture of our society full of cowards and busybodies including everything from unnecessary regulations to overbearing (well meaning) parents. We find fear in things that are safe and inadvertently find safety in more dangerous options. If this book taught me anything, it is that humans are not instinctively good at assessing risk.

This is a great and quick read that may open your eyes to a world that is not quite as dangerous as you first thought.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information about the science of fear. Insight into why we are afraid of things that aren't really dangerous, and not afraid of things that are actually dangerous. Good insight about "helicopter" parenting, how it creates a false sense of security and doesn't prepare kids to understand and react to real danger. Written with a sense of humor. Reminds me a bit of Malcolm Gladwell.

[Kristina Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

We live in an increasingly paranoid world. This book takes a look at why that's happened. Essentially, the animal part of our brain reacts to media reports of kidnappings etc as if they were happening within our pack group, not as distant events. Hence we are paranoid our children will be abducted. A good read for the curious.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick easy read, full of common sense with interesting insights into how our perceptions of what is safe or dangerous vary from the actual risks.
I recommend it as an aid to getting things into perspective.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read that reminds me of what ought to be common sense: anything taken to an extreme is unsafe, even "safety." We're better of just living our lives (and allowing our kids to do so) without constantly worrying about whether our activities, homes, etc. are "safe."

[Kevin Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Points out how our hyper-safety consciousness is inconsistent and overrated. Example: More kids suffer head injuries falling off of playground equipment versus falling off a bike, but we never make our kids wear helmets on their swing-sets.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing read.

Link to a video review of this book: soon.

[Michelle Freeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the writing was a little smarmy, but overall I liked the concept and appreciated a new perspective on what is truly dangerous.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Live Dangerously gives you a different view on how we live. It actually makes what we think of as normal seem funny and somewhat stupid/foolish. A fantastic non-fiction book.

[Jeckthing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through this book, you may find the irony of being safe as perceived by the majority.

[Autumn Bruner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and I think everyone should read it. We're all way too worried about stuff that shouldn't worry us, and not nearly worried enough about stuff that should.

[Stefano Pini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always ride your bike to work!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thought provoking and worthwhile read!

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book - mostly reinforced a lot of ideas I was already familiar with. A bit on the short side for the cost.

[Kiersten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun! Funny, enlightening. Puts things in perspective.