The science of fear

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1. kaweraJul 2017
   An interesting book on the subject is "The Science of Fear" by Daniel Gardner: https://www.amazon.com/Science-Fear-Culture-Manipulates-Brai...
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2. toblenderSep 2013
   I first heard about this from the book, the "Science of Fear". It's unfortunate that fear of something like flight, can lead to death by other means.
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3. joshkaufmanApr 2013
   Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem to assume that mass media news consumption can (or should) be an entirely rational process, in which a person should be able to exert enough willpower to ignore the emotional content of news stories.

   It doesn't work that way.

   Our cognitive threat detection systems create very real biological responses to the information we receive from the news, prompting shifts in cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones. That automatic threat response has very real effects on your short and long-term health and mental/emotional well-being. [1]

   The potential for sudden, dramatic, unexpected loss of life or property (called Loss Aversion) is one of the most attention-pulling things in the world. Once you start paying attention, it's extremely difficult to stop, even if you can't do anything with the information.

   It's easy to be sucked in by modern news media, and spend way too much time and energy ruminating on situations you can't influence or control. You're burning the limited amount of attention, focus, and energy you have each day on something that ultimately provides zero value.

   I'm all for being informed about what's happening in the world at a baseline level, provided you focus on information you're in a position to act upon - by avoiding a local threat (weather/earthquake/wildfire/etc), donating to a non-profit in the event of a disaster/tragedy, educating yourself before an impending election, etc.

   Otherwise, the best way to handle most news media is not to pay attention to it at all. Treat it as a tabloid: best to be avoided if you want to preserve your focus for more important matters.

   [1] See "The Science of Fear" by Dan Gardner, http://www.amazon.com/dp/0452295467/

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4. scovettaNov 2012
   The book The Science of Fear is also a great resource for learning about why people do the things they do.

   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452295467/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...

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5. rcpJun 2011
   If interested in reading more, I highly recommend Dan Gardner's "Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear". (Also named "Science of Fear" in some markets.) It's a very good examination of risk perception and the cognitive faults we fall into.
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6. keyistMar 2010
   Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book

   As for mine,

   Science Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):

     Charles Stross: Halting State
     Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep
     Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games
     David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy
     Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)
     John Scalzi: Old Man's War series
     Dan Simmons: Hyperion
   

   Self-improvement:

     The Talent Code
     Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger
     Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
   

   Non-fiction:

     Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)
     The Science of Fear
     The Black Swan
     Tokyo Vice
     Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)
     books by Daniel Pink
     Guns, Germs, and Steel
     The Prize by Daniel Yergin
   

   Fantasy:

   Anything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.

   EDIT: links to previews (legally) available online

   Charles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera...

   David Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/

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