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It may sound counterintuitive that when outside threats decrease, we manipulate ourselves into finding new ones, even if they are completely benign. However, researchers found exactly that; we are often tricked by our own perception and see threats that aren't actually there.
So in an attempt to explore our misconceptions, Reddit user ThexLoneWolf made a post on the platform, asking everyone to list the things that society portrays as dangerous but in reality are pretty safe. From animals to medical procedures, here are some of the most popular replies they've received.
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#1
Vaccines. They are extremely safe and effective despite what a very loud few say.
François Bouzigues 7 months ago
30 years ago, nobody was afraid of vaccines. So enraging to see erradicated diseases reappearing
RELATED:
#2
Wolves. Wolf attacks on people are so rare they have individual entries on the Wikipedia page.
#3
Foxes. For some reason my local fb group ALWAYS seems to post about when they see a fox in town like “careful on your walks”
Do you think foxes EAT PEOPLE????
#4
Sending your kids outside to play. Go. Outside. It’s good for them.
Pollywog 7 months ago (edited)
We weren't allowed back in the house until the streetlights came on!! Exploring the woods, eating fresh vegetables and fruits from gardens and orchards, all the kids in the neighborhood playing (baseball, football, basketball...etc). Something I'd like to bring back from my childhood...... penny candy 100 PIECES OF CANDY FOR ONE DOLLAR!!! Childhood would've been unbearable if I couldn't have spent most of it outdoors!! (Edit for boo-boos)
#5
Quicksand. We were misled by '80s action films. It's pretty hard to actually die in it.
(Conversely, regular old riptides in the ocean are WAY more dangerous than people think).
#6
I do risk assessment for a living.
Humans are terrible at assessing risk, in general.
Michael Largey 7 months ago
Being terrible at assessing risk of course carries risks of its own.
#7
Movies really do sharks dirty. Wouldn’t say they’re completely safe, but definitely no where near as dangerous as perceived to be.
#8
Black bears are pretty harmless. They *can* [harm] you, but usually would rather leave you alone.
#9
Using a sharp knife in cooking. It's actually far more dangerous to use a dull knife.
ColdSteelRonin 7 months ago
A dull knife is a poor tool as it causes you to apply excessive pressure at improper angles to achieve the desired result and that's how most people end up getting cut
#11
Small bubbles in an IV line aren’t going to [unalive] you like the movies. The amount of panicked patients I’ve had is wild.
Stardust she/her 7 months ago
When injecting syringes they usually flick at it to remove air bubbles even though they’re relatively harmless because they’re too small to do anything
#12
Bees and wasps. I used to get stung a lot when I was a kid but I learned that if you don't wave your arms like a lunatic they'll leave you a lone. Also don't throw rocks at their nest and you should be okay.
#14
I’m sure other people have said, but trick or treating. Any danger in d***s or razor blades in candy is wildly overblown in actuality I think there have been only one or two instances of someone actually being malicious with their candy handouts.
#16
Flying on a plane. You are more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash.
Froyn Laven 7 months ago
Those are pretty words, until your airplane is the one in bad turbulence
#18
This is kind of a meta answer, but I’ve injured myself a lot more doing stupid projects around the house than I have while on duty in an actual dangerous industrial jobsite. Universally because I didn’t do a proper pre-work analysis and ensure I was using PPE.
#19
Alligators. They are big and look scary but don't generally attack humans and don't consider us prey. Florida has millions of gators but only averages like 8 unprovoked attacks per year with about one fatal death every 3 years. They are dangerous to small pets, however, and I'm pretty sure many of those attacks are from trying to save a pet. But alligators are everywhere is Florida so it's quite surprising how few attacks there are.
#20
A lot of 3rd-world travel destinations; just because a country is poor doesn't mean that the people are robbers/murderers.
#21
My step mom is convinced that if a steak has any pink in the middle (I'm talking about anything less then well done) that its raw and will give you Salmonella.
Anne Jones 7 months ago
Chicken is the one you need to cook thoroughly. You can eat beef raw if you like.
#22
Silica packets say ,'Do not eat' on them because they are a choking hazard, not because they're poisonous.
Kira Okah 7 months ago
Note that some of them have a coating of cobalt chloride - a moisture indicator that turns from blue to pink when moist - and CoCl2 is toxic and allergenic. However, the concentration is so low that it isn't going to poison you unless you ingest large amounts. You're much more likely to either choke on it, or if it is CoCl2 coated you could get a reaction if you are allergic (it is a surprisingly common allergen).
#23
Nuclear waste, specifically the high-level spent fuel that needs to be dropped in cooling ponds for years. Make no mistake, it can absolutely [unalive] you if you’re exposed to the neutron emissions, but once it’s cooled off, it’s melted down into glass and sealed away in concrete casks. For all intents and purposes, these casks are indestructible; you could hit them with a runaway train and they wouldn’t break open. They can also be sealed away in deep boreholes underground for billions of years, more than enough time for the radioactive elements to decay to harmless amounts. When it’s handled correctly, nuclear waste may be the safest kind of waste there is. Ash from coal power plants emits far more radioactive particles than a nuclear reactor ever will, and it’s handled way less responsibly.
#25
Living in Chicago, I did it for 10 years, still don't own a bulletproof vest.
Teachzebra 7 months ago
The conservative media wants everyone to believe that every large city is an urban hellhole where daily life is like mad Max. Crime rates and small towns are basically the same, the keyword is rate instead of total. Of course how seriously can you take a party when they claim to be tough on crime, and then nominates a candidate for president who has 91 felony charges against him.
#26
My dad is an electrician, and he taught me when I was pretty young how to fix electrical things, so I am always amused at how terrified people are by anything to do with electricity.
Auntriarch 7 months ago
As the daughter of an electrical engineer, I tend to be amazed by how un-terrified people are by electricity.
#27
Going in the ocean. Talking to those people afraid of seaweed.
Froyn Laven 7 months ago
Jellyfish, stingrays, saltwater crock's, blue ringed octopus, sharks, megalodon, piranha, alligators, creature from the Black lagoon. This is why hotels have swimming pools 🤣
#28
Anxiety/Panic Attacks. you'll feel like you're having a Medical Emergency, but you're not.
#29
Changing the brakes on your car. They're trivially easy to do, don't require any special tools outside of a torque wrench, and dealer and mechanic prices are outrageous (parts can be found online for a fraction of the dealer price at places like AutoHausAZ, and shop rates for labor are super expensive). It's pretty hard to screw up, and can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
#30
Roller Coasters and Amusement Park Rides: While these rides may seem scary, they are designed with strict safety regulations and are statistically very safe.
FreeTheUnicorn 7 months ago
If it's a permanent park, there are regulations and inspections. If it's a moving fair, there's both wear and tear and less oversight.
#31
Tandem Skydiving - strongest safety statistics of any type of jump, with only 0.003 fatalities per thousand jumps over the past 10 years. You're more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery than to die on a tandem skydive. Only done it twice, but such an incredible experience and rush....
What do you think ?
David Paterson 7 months ago (edited)
Good. So much perceived risk is overstated. And so much real risk is understated.
General Stukov 7 months ago (edited)
I have to stress this, unless you are handy with repairwork with vehicles and did extensive research do not mess with the breaks, engine, electrical systems. You will get hurt. Jackstands, proper equipment, do your research and understand that if you screw up you will have to take it by the shop anyways.
General Stukov 7 months ago
A lifetime ago i used to live in low income housing and i did pc repair work for a buddy of mine. Real good guy but he had issues since he was a weed dealer. Had to protect himself. He had an ak behind his door and a pretty big pit. He was like, "normally i don't let people just knock on my door" and his big pit came right over to me and started licking me and quite happy to be around me. He was just shocked and i told him i had no ill will, I'm no cop i just was an ol school pot smoker that wanted to enjoy some extended payed time off. He said, "she's never done that before man... you're cool people". After that we became great friends and he was really trying to turn his life around and to my knowledge he did, has a sweet little girl, the pit is still quite happy and sweet with everyone now and he's actually got a really good job doing something he loves.
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David Paterson 7 months ago (edited)
Good. So much perceived risk is overstated. And so much real risk is understated.
General Stukov 7 months ago (edited)
I have to stress this, unless you are handy with repairwork with vehicles and did extensive research do not mess with the breaks, engine, electrical systems. You will get hurt. Jackstands, proper equipment, do your research and understand that if you screw up you will have to take it by the shop anyways.
General Stukov 7 months ago
A lifetime ago i used to live in low income housing and i did pc repair work for a buddy of mine. Real good guy but he had issues since he was a weed dealer. Had to protect himself. He had an ak behind his door and a pretty big pit. He was like, "normally i don't let people just knock on my door" and his big pit came right over to me and started licking me and quite happy to be around me. He was just shocked and i told him i had no ill will, I'm no cop i just was an ol school pot smoker that wanted to enjoy some extended payed time off. He said, "she's never done that before man... you're cool people". After that we became great friends and he was really trying to turn his life around and to my knowledge he did, has a sweet little girl, the pit is still quite happy and sweet with everyone now and he's actually got a really good job doing something he loves.
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