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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

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Vaccines. They are extremely safe and effective despite what a very loud few say.

evilpercy , RF._.studio/pexels Report

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François Bouzigues
François Bouzigues
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

30 years ago, nobody was afraid of vaccines. So enraging to see erradicated diseases reappearing

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#2

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Wolves. Wolf attacks on people are so rare they have individual entries on the Wikipedia page.

GrymEdm , Jonathan lajoie/pexels Report

Final score:
155points
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Pollywog
Pollywog
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love wolves!! Howling in my head as I type this.🤫 Don't want to wake the cats!!! 😾😾😾

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#3

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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????

Autistic-Teddybear , Pixabay/pexels Report

Final score:
154points
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Bookworm
Bookworm
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, you should be cautious, but mostly because of rabies risk.

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#4

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Sending your kids outside to play. Go. Outside. It’s good for them.

DiscoJuneBug , Allan Mas/pexels Report

Final score:
147points
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Pollywog
Pollywog
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5 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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)

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#5

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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).

smathna , Martin Hearn/flickr Report

Final score:
127points
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Pork Chop
Pork Chop
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They need to bring back quicksand deaths in new movies. I miss seeing those last outstreched fingers as they decently into their eternal entombment.

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#6

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad I do risk assessment for a living.

Humans are terrible at assessing risk, in general.

flyover_liberal , Tima Miroshnichenko/pexels Report

Final score:
119points
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Michael Largey
Michael Largey
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Being terrible at assessing risk of course carries risks of its own.

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#7

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Movies really do sharks dirty. Wouldn’t say they’re completely safe, but definitely no where near as dangerous as perceived to be.

anon , Guryan /pexels Report

Final score:
115points
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#8

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Black bears are pretty harmless. They *can* [harm] you, but usually would rather leave you alone.

bluegiant85 , Enric Cruz López/pexels Report

Final score:
113points
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Agfox
Agfox
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank goodness I live in Australia where there's virtually no dangerous wildlife, haha..../s (just in case)

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#9

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Using a sharp knife in cooking. It's actually far more dangerous to use a dull knife.

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Final score:
110points
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ColdSteelRonin
ColdSteelRonin
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#10

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Eating slightly out of date food.

anon , watthhekshudiputhere/reddit Report

Final score:
107points
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Ace
Ace
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or _very_ out of date tinned goods. As long as the tin is intact and hasn't "blown" the contents will still be safe to eat.

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#11

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

truecolors110 , Navy Medicine/flickr Report

Final score:
89points
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Stardust she/her
Stardust she/her
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#12

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

shaka_sulu , Oktavianus Mulyadi/pexels Report

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85points
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CK
CK
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bees don't sting for no reason, but yellow jackets are a******s.

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#13

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Being a cop. Logging is over six times more dangerous. 

Plodderic , Kindel Media/pexels Report

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80points
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Miryaa
Miryaa
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5 months ago

This comment has been deleted.

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#14

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

Jconnor35 , Charles Parker/pexels Report

Final score:
74points
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Bookworm
Bookworm
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've seen it pointed out before that stuff like weed gummies is *expensive.* Nobody is casually handing that out to 50 children.

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#15

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad MSG.

LightyearKissthesky9 , Douglas Muth/flickr Report

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Corvus
Corvus
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

MSG and gluten - two things that are "trendy" to be scared of nowadays. (and I'm obviously not refering to people with legitimate health issues like caeliac, but mentioning it just in case because people often can't see the obvious)

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#16

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Flying on a plane. You are more likely to die in a car crash than a plane crash.

ohnoitslemur , Skitterphoto /pexels Report

Final score:
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Froyn Laven
Froyn Laven
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5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those are pretty words, until your airplane is the one in bad turbulence

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#17

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Nuclear power.

ProductFinal1910 , Markus Distelrath/pexels Report

Final score:
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PattyK
PattyK
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nuclear power is quite safe; it’s the radioactive waste we need to worry about.

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#18

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

MadisonPearGarden , Ksenia Chernaya/pexels Report

Final score:
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#19

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

Wizzdom , Los Muertos Crew/pexels Report

Final score:
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#20

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad A lot of 3rd-world travel destinations; just because a country is poor doesn't mean that the people are robbers/murderers.

ColgateHourDonk , marcos quinteiro/pexels Report

Final score:
64points
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CK
CK
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It doesn't mean that "the people" are robbers and murderers, but it can mean that the robbers have more incentive to go after tourists.

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#21

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

Dragon_Knight99 , Dmitriy Ganin/pexels Report

Final score:
62points
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Anne Jones
Anne Jones
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chicken is the one you need to cook thoroughly. You can eat beef raw if you like.

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#22

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Silica packets say ,'Do not eat' on them because they are a choking hazard, not because they're poisonous.

l06ic , Scott Brown/flickr Report

Final score:
58points
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Kira Okah
Kira Okah
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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).

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#23

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

ThexLoneWolf , Savannah River Site/flickr Report

Final score:
50points
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HolyDiver
HolyDiver
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The latest technology is to bury them underneath the power plant property itself. This avoids the risk of transportation. They also dig way below the water table. The glass/concrete containers are nearly indestructible to begin with.

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#24

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Spiders in your house.

jonpertwee2 , Jim, the Photographer/flickr Report

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#25

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Living in Chicago, I did it for 10 years, still don't own a bulletproof vest.

Inside-Bid-1889 , Leon Macapagal/pexels Report

Final score:
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Teachzebra
Teachzebra
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#26

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

funky_grandma , Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/pexels Report

Final score:
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Auntriarch
Auntriarch
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As the daughter of an electrical engineer, I tend to be amazed by how un-terrified people are by electricity.

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#27

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Going in the ocean. Talking to those people afraid of seaweed.

VanManDom , Anastasiya Vragova/pexels Report

Final score:
38points
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Froyn Laven
Froyn Laven
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jellyfish, stingrays, saltwater crock's, blue ringed octopus, sharks, megalodon, piranha, alligators, creature from the Black lagoon. This is why hotels have swimming pools 🤣

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#28

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Anxiety/Panic Attacks. you'll feel like you're having a Medical Emergency, but you're not.

defunkman , David Garrison/pexels Report

Final score:
33points
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Kira Okah
Kira Okah
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nasty things. I have anxiety disorder, so I don't know what causes most of mine, but I don't wish these on anyone.

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#29

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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.

boxsterguy , Mikhail Nilov/pexels Report

Final score:
32points
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User# 6
User# 6
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Disc brakes, yes. Drum brakes on the other hand are a bit more complex to do.

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#30

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad Roller Coasters and Amusement Park Rides: While these rides may seem scary, they are designed with strict safety regulations and are statistically very safe.

thinktaj , Nati/pexels Report

Final score:
30points
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FreeTheUnicorn
FreeTheUnicorn
Community Member
6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#31

People Share 31 Things That Seem Dangerous But Actually Aren't That Bad 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....

NIstcomp111 , Tom Fisk/pexels Report

Final score:
27points
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Agfox
Agfox
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6 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of those options, my preference would be winning the lottery

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