Emotion Is a Big Part of How You Assess Risk–And Why It’s So Hard to Be Objective About Pandemic Precautions

August 12, 2021

(The Conversation) – People tend to overestimate or underestimate risk. The pandemic brings this into stark relief. Picture someone wearing an N95 mask while walking their dog through a deserted park. Contrast that with someone entering a crowded bar maskless in an area with high coronavirus transmission rates. Risk is a function of logical and physical factors, both qualitative and quantitative. A computer could combine them all into a measure that captures the likelihood, benefits and cost of an event occurring.  But people are prone to assess risk emotionally. This tendency explains why many view flying as riskier than driving, even though the reverse is true. What people often confuse with risk is lack of control. That’s one reason many have concerns about self-driving vehicles, where artificial intelligence algorithms control the steering and braking. (Read Full Article)