It’s Friday
Friday February 15th 2008, 6:10 am
Filed under: fun
Filed under: fun
so, it’s time for a quiz. Here’s a quiz on Mortal Threats from Psychology Today.
How good is your grasp of risk?
- What’s more common in the United States, (a) suicide or (b) homicide?
- What’s the more frequent cause of death in the United States, (a) pool drowning or (b) falling out of bed?
- What are the top five causes of accidental death in America, following motor-vehicle accidents, and which is the biggest one?
- Of the top two causes of nonaccidental death in America, (a) cancer and (b) heart disease, which kills more women?
- What are the next three causes of nonaccidental death in the United States?
- Which has killed more Americans, bird flu or mad cow disease?
- How many Americans die from AIDS every year, (a) 12,995, (b) 129,950, or (c) 1,299,500?
- How many Americans die from diabetes every year? (a) 72,820, (b) 728,200, or (c) 7,282,000?
- Which kills more Americans, (a) appendicitis or (b) salmonella?
- Which kills more Americans, (a) pregnancy and childbirth or (b) malnutrition?
Answers here (scroll down).
I love that you have this categorized under “fun.” =D
This article reminds me of something from the book Stumbling Upon Happiness; the author writes that essentially, people tend to be most afraid of what they can more easily imagine.
So, for example (and keep in mind I’m paraphrasing; the book isn’t right in front of me), there was a study or survey done of people asking them, What do you think the likelihood is of a natural disaster occurring somewhere in the world that kills 50,000 people? Then, either the same group (or another group) of people were asked, What do you think the likelihood is of an earthquake occurring in California that kills 50,000 people?
A much higher percentage of people thought an earthquake killing 50K was likely to happen compared to people who thought a random natural disaster anywhere in the world killing 50K people. Of course, that makes no real sense - statistically it’s more likely that ANYTHING could happen, but the author concludes that it’s about how easy people can conjure up an image in their minds.
This provided a possible explanation for many things that had long puzzled me, esp. things like racial profiling and other fear-based behaviors.
Comment by h sofia 02.15.08 @ 12:05 pmSo how did you do on the quiz (since you read Stumbling Upon Happiness)?
Comment by Ms. Theologian 02.15.08 @ 12:14 pmOh, I chose “suicide” and “pool drowning” then saw the third question and was all like “Blach! I need multiple choice!” So I just skipped ahead and read the article, figuring I wouldn’t even remember what my answers would have been by the time I got to the bottom.
Comment by h sofia 02.15.08 @ 1:02 pmp.s. I was relieved to see that malnutrition killed more people than pregnancy and childbirth! But when I first saw the question I was like “Oh my GOD!” and feared the thing I could more easily imagine happening to me.
Comment by h sofia 02.15.08 @ 1:04 pmI want lower car insurance! I demand my rights!
Comment by Comrade Kevin 02.15.08 @ 4:51 pmLeave a comment
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