The Science of Fear: How the Culture of Fear Manipulates Your Brain

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More About This Book

Overview

A timely and entertaining psychological look at why we're afraid and what to do about it

From terror attacks to bursting real estate bubbles, from crystal meth epidemics to online sexual predators and poisonous toys from China, our list of fears seems to be exploding. Yet we are the safest and healthiest humans in history. Why are we so worried?

The Science of Fear is an introduction to the new brain science of risk, dissecting the fears that misguide and manipulate us every day. Award-winning journalist Daniel Gardner demonstrates how irrational fear springs from the ways humans miscalculate risks based on our hunter-gatherer brains. With the exclusive cooperation of risk-science pioneer Paul Slovic and other leading experts, Gardner reveals how our "gut" reactions lead us astray. Understanding our irrational fears frees us from political and corporate manipulation, and makes our choices better, and our lives braver.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780452295469
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 6/24/2009
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 368
  • Sales rank: 295,381
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Daniel Gardner is a columnist and senior writer for The Ottawa Citizen. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including Amnesty International's Media Award and the Michener Award.

Table of Contents

Prologue: 1, 595 1

Chapter 1 Prehistoric Refugee 5

Chapter 2 Of Two Minds 18

Chapter 3 The Death of Homo economicus 32

Chapter 4 The Emotional Brain 59

Chapter 5 A Story About Numbers 87

Chapter 6 The Herd Senses Danger 102

Chapter 7 Fear Inc. 125

Chapter 8 All the Fear That's Fit to Print 155

Chapter 9 Crime and Perception 182

Chapter 10 The Chemistry of Fear 218

Chapter 11 Terrified of Terrorism 246

Chapter 12 There's Never Been a Better Time to Be Alive 289

Afterword 305

Notes 317

Bibliography 337

Acknowledgments 341

Index 343

Customer Reviews

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Sort by: Showing all of 13 Customer Reviews

  • Posted May 14, 2010

    We should not really fear what we think we should!

    I gained a lot from this book. We are afraid of so many things when really the risk of these happening is so minute relative to any other day to day event, that we lose focus. Right now we are so focused on terrorism yet these are such rare acts it diverts the attention away from pending crises such as obesity and poverty, where huge numbers of people suffer. I certainly viewed the world differently after reading this book and dont generally watch the evening news any more. Count how many stories actually have anything positive to say...doom, gloom, death, murder, disease, and terrorism all sell. Is it any wonder that we are more stressed in our lives?!

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  • Posted December 20, 2009

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    Science of Fear is a dispassionate examination of how our hunter gatherer evolved brains based react to fear, and how we use fear to manipulate ourselves and others about crime, cancer, pollution, radiation, terrorism, etc.

    By any and all measures, we actually live in the safest and healthiest time of human history, yet many of us are more fearful than ever before. Furthermore, we tend to fear highly improbable things?such as terrorist attacks or shark attacks? while calmly taking personal risks that are thousands of times more dangerous?such as driving instead of flying after 9/11 which probably added 1595 highway deaths to the impact of that attack.
    What gives? Daniel Gardner incorporates the latest scientific research to answer this question. He starts with the biological and evolutionary nature of our brains. They are optimized for hunter gatherer societies of small tribes in which immediate and viscerally experiences of threats and opportunities are coupled with herd like reactions. They are poorly equipped to deal with the indirect threats and opportunities ones and statistical evidence of modern society. On top of that, those who provide us the information that replaces visceral experience pre-filter that information through their own poorly equipped brains. Some of them try to be accurate, but many realize that fear makes stories more interesting, attracts a larger audience and motivates action. They are encouraged by this to exaggerate fear related stories while ignoring the more difficult to communicate "good news" or honest facts.
    Fear sells, perhaps even more effectively than sex! Even the well intentioned people use unjustified fear to promote worthy causes as Gardner illustrates with familiar case studies!
    Gardner discusses the issues of crime, chemical pollution, cancer, and terrorism and compares the best statistical evidence of how significant they are to our personal and national lives against the best statistical measurements of what people believe about them. The dramatic differences between reality and belief on these issues has wasted vast resources and emotional energy on relatively minor causes while leaving many major, every day threats virtually untouched.
    In spite of its title this is a fascinating and hopeful book; not a fearful one. Gardner includes tools that enable us, as individuals, to better assess our personal situations, minimize our unrealistic fears, filter fear biased information and effectively address the more significant threats and opportunities we face.
    To quote from conclusions on page 294 of the book: "So why is it that so many of the safest humans in history are scared of their own shadows? There are three basic components at work: the brain, the media, and many individuals and organizations with an interest in stoking fears. Wire these three components together in a loop and we have the circuitry of fear."
    This book has improved my understanding of our total over-reaction to 9/11 and what keeps our irrational fears of terrorism shaping feel-good but non-productive responses such as our continued military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Prior to reading the book, I was tempted to chalk these actions up to stupidity and juvenile behavior on the part of George Bush, Dick Cheney and company. Those were triggering factors, but not the sustaining ones.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 6, 2009

    great book, very enlightening

    This book does a great job explaining how the media has programmed us all to be completely irrational in ways in which we thought we were rational.

    This is a must read book for anyone with a vote. This will change the way you consume the news and will require you demand more from your news sources.

    This book will also help you analyze everyday decisions you make in your life that you could be making for the exact wrong reasons.

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