Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

and you know, 40% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
this book isn't quite what i was after-i think i was looking for more of a neuroscience approach with a blend of psychology, whereas this is a bulk of sociology and statistics with a healthy mix of psychology, with some interesting social experiments referenced.
Not to say it's a bad book, it's actually quite the eye opener, and i would absolutely recommend it. very insightful with regards to media and advertising.
my only complaints are 1, it seems a few times the author lets a little of his personal bias towards a few of the specific subjects show. for example, i clearly get the impression that the author thinks all vaccinations are completely safe, and that the "anti-vaccination people" are illogical or misinformed. this topic i feel has a great many points on both sides, both with scientific data and both with respected educated voices to back up their points, and it should not be presented as a fear manipulated position in a book on fear.
and 2, a couple times you are presented with questions that are somewhat brain teasers, and the answer is no where in the book, not even the end sections. ~frustrating--
overall though not a bad read. flows well and for the most part holds your interest.

I found this book very interesting in concept, however i got so bored with it. Essentially the story is this: People are afraid of things they shouldn't be as afraid of, and not as afraid of the things they should be. For example, people are afraid to fly, but u have a much greater chance of dying in a car crash. People are afraid of cancer, but u have a better chance of dying from the flu. Things like this are stated throughout the book. We are afraid of this bc of that but these are the statistics on why we are afraid of this and that. Its essentially a bunch of statistics that i really liked in the beginning, but got really bored with as the book went on , and frankly started skimming it. Decent book to read but just got really bored with it....

This is the best book on the subject that I've read. I liked both the theoretical explanations, and practical examples with recommendations. It is impartial, and also shows how the risks of the rare but emotionally significant events are overinflated and overused by media and politicians, and also how our own brains and "guts" mislead us in our daily life. Well-written, I recommend it to everyone.

Being in the field of risk management, I understand how much of our lives is devoted to managing what we call high consequence/low occurance risks. Gardner does an excellent job, showing how billions of dollars are spent on things like making safer schools and yet the probability of something happening to our children outside of school is astronomically greater than the risks they have within school. How the media manipulates risk is also examined in great detail, with the recounting of the hype over the danger of silicone breast implants, although there was never any conclusive medical evidence that implants caused cancer. Having read this book shortly after the BP oil spill and the earthquake/tsunami damage in Japan and the public outcry, you could see the authors points dramatically illustrated every day.

I recommend this book, not just for people in my industry of risk management, but for every citizen looking to put a true filter on the things that we needlessly let paralyze our way of lives.

With politicians, the media, and corporations vying for our support, it's good to read a book that stands to gain because of its enlightenment factor rather than its level of fear mongering. Gardner gives example after example of how societal minions make us believe something and then watch as we bite their bait. Is research ever considered? You'll be surprised as to how little it actually is.

A politician for instance has to go further and seem tougher on an issue than his opponent or he'll appear weak. No mention of the validity of the idea is ever made; only that it's stronger than the other guy's. And people buy it.

What if I told you (as a politician) that from the early to the mid 1900s, cancer went from the 4th killer of children to the 1st? Then, what if I told you that if elected, I'd work at getting funding for research in order to stop this growing epidemic? Would you vote for me? Probably. Especially if you were close to someone who had recently died of cancer. Now that I have your vote, let me tell you that cancer didn't go from 4th to 1st because it was killing more children. It moved to that prime spot because medical science was eradicating other diseases that also killed children. If spots 1, 2, & 3 are gone, 4th easily becomes 1st. That's politics I suppose.

Gardner's book is replete with examples like this. People make decisions, not based on numbers, but based on their gut feeling of the information that is presented to them. This is dangerous and sad.

You're more likely to get killed in a car crash driving on the way to work than you are of terrorism, but which do you fear most? We spend money on things that we fear but shouldn't and ignore things that put us in constant danger. Gardner discusses probability, risk, and other measurable things, comparing them to how we process the information within our minds. We are almost always, dreadfully wrong because we listen to our feelings rather than our brains.

This is an interesting read especially if you're a skeptic or terribly gullible. Gardner gives numbers, not opinions and allows you to draw your own conclusions which is much more valuable than listening to a security company that stands to profit because you're afraid of lurkers in the dark. Live in an affluent community? Robbers are unlikely to be there, but you're likely to have a security system.

I didn't like Gardners take on evolution. While I would agree with him in how we have evolved as humans, I do not believe that we have evolved from monkeys. I also think that he left some of the research he referenced a bit too open-ended. He has his own biased purposes as well. He is a journalist after all and a human.

Some of what he presents isn't new as a great deal of the book is basic psychology. However, his take on modern culture and the application he makes to what keeps us in a state of fear is fascinating.

This book is absolutely fascinating. It's very well worded so that anyone can understand it. I will admit that I waited a month or two to finally pick it up and start reading- boy, was that a mistake! This book is amazing.

If you consume media and live in modern society, reading this book should be a requirement. Do so and you'll know what I mean.

YOU GET 5X SMARTER AFTER YOU READ THIS BOOK I SWEAR TO GOD!


DON'T LET FEAR IMPRISON YOUR MIND YALL!!!!!!