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Today, it seems like every nightly newscast is dedicated to scaring the bejeezus out of viewers. Don’t eat fruits and vegetables because pesticide residue will give you cancer. But don’t not eat them because not eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day will kill you too. What we’re left with is a society full of scaredy-cats, even though we’re living longer, healthier lives. This is how our brains work, and for good reason. These brain functions are what kept our ancestors alive in the days of predator versus prey. The problem, though, is that for the most part—our fears are instinctual, and are in dire need of modernization.

For example:

• We fear snakes, not cars. Even though car accidents kill way more people than snakes do, most of us still fear the slithery creatures over a speeding Ford F150.
• We fear cancer but not heart disease. Things that build up slowly are hard for us to see, like obesity and high blood pressure.
• “There’s no pesticide in my backyard—unless I put it there”. We prefer that which we think we can control, and are blind to more dangerous realities.
• We love sunlight but fear nuclear power. The sun kills more people than nuclear reactors do. So slop on the sunscreen.

Learn more about the ten ways we get the odds wrong at Psychology Today.

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