Inordinate fear can also alter people's perceptions of the risks they face on a daily basis. While a little fear is good, and can make people more cautious in some situations, frightened or anxious people may magnify or exaggerate their assessment of how harmful or dangerous a particular activity is, or how frequently a risk might happen. Opportunities may be foregone, regardless of the true probabilities of a risk. For example, in his paper "The Consequences of Fear," David Ropeik, director of Risk Communication at the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, says:

The more we are aware of a risk, the more we are likely to be concerned about it. Concern about murder and personal safety rises when the papers are full of coverage of a local incident, although the actual probabilities are the same before that crime showed up in the news, and after it is resolved. Any risk also seems greater if you believe that you or someone you care about could be a victim. In most cases, citing statistical probability may not adequately communicate the true degree of risk to an individual. A risk of 1 in 1,000,000 can still seem threatening if you think you could be "the one." This helps explain why the only acceptable level of risk to many people is zero.

The more uncertain we are about a situation, or the more new or novel a technology might be, the more cautious we may be. For example, many people are very fearful of genetically engineered foods. Without fully understanding the science behind such advances, they see great dangers in genetic engineering – perhaps envisioning mutants or poisonous invasive spores – and cannot easily see the benefits.

Hazards that kill a group of people at one time in one place (such as plane crashes) evoke more fear than hazards that may take more lives, but over space and time (such as heart disease).

Special Reports /

HalloweERM Special: Fear Factor

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