The Consequences Of Fear David Ropeik Summary
The article “The Consequences of Fear” written by David Ropeik discusses the factors of everyday life that cause us to be overly fearful of a situation or not fearful enough. We as humans tend to have irrational fears, or fear of things that have a very low risk of causing us any harm. If these fears persist over long periods of time they can cause real problems to our health. According to the article, “Psychoneuroimmunological testing in laboratory animals and a range of human epidemiological findings associate stress with a weakened immune system, increased cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal problems” etc. This brings the question “Is it important to avoid taking risks in order to protect your health?”. Risks are an important part of
innovation and improvement. Because it is nearly impossible to completely remove the risks in our day to day lives, the simplest way to avoid serious health problems is to take much needed breaks/vacations and find ways to relieve the anxiety thats built over time.
Ropeik claims that our anxiety or stress can be more hazardous than the perceived danger. He states “because of the ways our bodies react to chronically elevated levels of stress, the hazards of risk misperception may be more significant than any of the individual risks about which we fret.”. Ropeik uses many logos appeals throughout his article to support his claim, mostly statistics and surveys. For example “The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that if safety belt usage increased to 85%, 2,700 lives would have been saved in 2002” This information emphasizes the importance of wearing a seatbelt in an automobile. Not everyone is aware of the increased danger associated with car crashes compared to something that seems far more deadly, such as sharks. He also builds his credibility by mentioning the names of the educated people who conducted the research “ For the past 25 years, scholars such as Gilbert White, Amos Tversky, Daniel Kahneman, Baruch Fischhoff and Paul Slovic have created an impressive amount of literature on risk perception.” This ensures the audience that the information is reliable and much more trustworthy.
innovation and improvement. Because it is nearly impossible to completely remove the risks in our day to day lives, the simplest way to avoid serious health problems is to take much needed breaks/vacations and find ways to relieve the anxiety thats built over time.
Ropeik claims that our anxiety or stress can be more hazardous than the perceived danger. He states “because of the ways our bodies react to chronically elevated levels of stress, the hazards of risk misperception may be more significant than any of the individual risks about which we fret.”. Ropeik uses many logos appeals throughout his article to support his claim, mostly statistics and surveys. For example “The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that if safety belt usage increased to 85%, 2,700 lives would have been saved in 2002” This information emphasizes the importance of wearing a seatbelt in an automobile. Not everyone is aware of the increased danger associated with car crashes compared to something that seems far more deadly, such as sharks. He also builds his credibility by mentioning the names of the educated people who conducted the research “ For the past 25 years, scholars such as Gilbert White, Amos Tversky, Daniel Kahneman, Baruch Fischhoff and Paul Slovic have created an impressive amount of literature on risk perception.” This ensures the audience that the information is reliable and much more trustworthy.