Unrealistic optimism can explain a lot of individual risk-taking, especially in the domain of risks to life and health. Asked to envision their future, students typically say that they are far less likely than their classmates to be fired from a job, to have a heart attack or get cancer, to be divorced after a few years of marriage, or to have a drinking problem. Older people underestimate the likelihood that they will be in a car accident or suffer major diseases.
