The Science of Fear: Why We Fear the Things We Shouldn't--and Put Ourselves in Greater Danger - Books

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
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. Irrational fear seems to be taking over, often with tragic results. For example, in the months after 9/11, when people decided to drive instead of flybelieving they were avoiding riskroad deaths rose by more than 1,500.

In this fascinating, lucid, and thoroughly entertaining examination of how humans process risk, journalist Dan Gardner had the exclusive cooperation of Paul Slovic, the world renowned risk-science pioneer, as he reveals how our hunter gatherer brains struggle to make sense of a world utterly unlike the one that made them. Filled with illuminating real world examples, interviews with experts, and fast-paced, lean storytelling, The Science of Fear shows why it is truer than ever that the worst thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

After a slow start, I could not put the book down November 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This book really grew on me. It started slow -- the writing early on seemed disorganized and less than captivating. Then I got into the book, to the point where I could not put it down. Too interested in what was coming next, in looking at different examples of how fear in the Gut overwhelms thinking in the Head. Toward the end of the book, things got a bit slow again, as Gardner got repetitive. All in all, though, a very interesting read.

The premise of The Science of Fear is simple -- fear comes from the Gut, not the Head. Sometimes the Head can overrule the Gut, sometimes not. Snakes, for example. Most people fear snakes. It has nothing to do with reason or experience. It's ingrained. Even if we try to get used to being around snakes -- which would normally work to eliminate a fear like this -- nothing we do or think can overcome the fear of snakes.

Gardner gives lots of examples of how fear works. But he is a newspaper journalist, and the writing shows that. Despite the title, this is not a science book. And the organization is not tight. The book seems less a book and more a collection of articles. That's what kept me from giving it five stars.

Another weakness, for me -- I had hoped that Gardner would cover a couple of topics that ended up with just a brief mention. Global warming, which seems a fear driven by Gut more than Head. And the Y2K computer bug. Talk about not being able to properly evaluate risk. Billions wasted to combat a false fear. Both topics interest me.

Like most books, The Science of Fear could have been better. But it's still a very good book, well worth reading. I enjoyed it and learned from it. In both cases, a lot.

1 out of 5 stars

no monkeys in my family tree September 28, 2008
2 out of 27 found this review helpful

I was very intrigued by this book and enjoyed it thoroughly until I got to Chapter 2... As a Christian I am insulted by this chapter and recommend against anyone else buying it, unless you truly believe we share a line with apes and that God did not in fact create all beings. I couldn't get through ch.2 due to the amount of misleading statements and opinions stated as facts by the author. I took it back for a full refund within 2 hours of purchasing it.

5 out of 5 stars

Required reading for all policymakers, journalists, and citizens September 15, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

If I were a rich man, I'd buy thousands of copies of this book, and send one to every member of Congress, along with the president, the vice president, every cabinet secretary, every governor and state legislator, and every journalist in America. This book ought to be required reading for every student of political science and public policy, as well as every student of journalism. In fact, it ought to be required reading for every student in every high school and university in the country. This book is really that important; especially now, as our nation is sinking deeper and deeper into a culture of pervasive, irrational fear. We, as a society, are afraid. And we're mainly afraid of things that, by any objective measure, do not pose significant threats to our safety and well-being; while virtually ignoring the real dangers that lurk all around us. We panic at the very thought of terrorism, airplane crashes, exotic diseases, serial killers, school shootings, sexual predators, and the like -- dangers that are extremely rare, and are responsible for relatively few deaths worldwide each year -- while being totally blase about more common dangers such as automobile accidents, unhealthy lifestyle choices (e.g. smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise), and inadequate health care, which are responsible for the lion's share of deaths worldwide each year. People tend to exaggerate the dangers posed by things they don't understand very well, such as weapons of mass destruction, nuclear power, chemicals in the environment, and genetically modified foods; but downplay the dangers posed by things they encounter every day, such as cars, swimming pools, ladders, and junk food. This book explains why it is that we fear things we probably shouldn't, but don't fear things we probably should. The explanation has a lot to do with how our brains work. It also has a lot to do with the fact that some people have a vested interest in feeding and exploiting our irrational fears for their own ends -- including terrorists, politicians, lobbyists, business leaders, advertisers, and (perhaps most egregiously) the media. This book is a much-needed antidote to the toxic effects of the culture of fear we now live in. Everyone needs to read this.

5 out of 5 stars

A Must Read! September 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a well-written thesis on how we make decisions in our everyday lives. The more emotionally weighted a problem is, the more likely our decision is made unconsciously, and often proves unchangeable in the face of dissenting reason. Filled with examples and anecdotes, this is the kind of thing that should be taught beginning in high school.

5 out of 5 stars

Makes risk assessment easier to understand September 15, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Gardner's book is both enjoyable and informative, providing a wealth of information about how humans evaluate risk. In particular, the author shows how our instincts (or "Gut") reactions to risk are often incorrect, yet we are reluctant to overrule these reactions with the more calm and reasoning "Head" side of our thinking.

Gardner uses a vast review of research in the field of risk assessment to bolster his points, yet manages to make these scientific studies accessible to laypeople, summarizing many of the principles with names such as the Example Rule, the Anchoring Rule, and the Rule of Typical Things. He then gives a number of examples of how people are often led astray by different entities (e.g., the news media, advertising agencies, political campaigns) who use these principles to evoke unreasoning fear as a means of manipulation, the implicit message being, "Here's something that you should be afraid of, but if you'll just buy this product or elect this candidate, you'll be safe."

I especially enjoyed the abundant statistics and discussions about the relative risk or safety of different activities (e.g., car travel vs. airline travel, heart disease vs. cancer, etc.), and how, from a historical and statistical perspective, "there's never been a better time to be alive." I would have liked for Gardner to have covered certain topics in more detail (e.g., vaccinations, climate change), but the ones he did cover in detail (e.g., terrorism, environmental chemicals, the role of the news media) were all well done.

All in all, a fascinating and valuable book for anyone who wants to know how to better use the reasoning side of their brain to evaluate the risks we all face.

Good Grape Wine Company