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Why do people fear the wrong things? - Gerd Gigerenzer

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A new drug reduces the risk of heart attacks by 40%. Shark attacks are up by a factor of two. Drinking a liter of soda per day doubles your chance of developing cancer. These are all examples of a common way risk is presented in news articles, and can often be misleading. So how can we better evaluate risk? Gerd Gigerenzer explores the difference between relative and absolute risk.

In November 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that a daily portion of 50 g of processed meat, such as sausage, is associated with an increased life-long risk of colon cancer of 18%. The 18% figure is an example of what type of risk?

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Meet The Creators

  • Director Mateus Moretto
  • Educator Gerd Gigerenzer
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Mateus Moretto, Luciano do Amaral
  • Animator Mateus Moretto, Luciano do Amaral
  • Art Director Mateus Moretto
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Script Editor Elizabeth Cox, Eleanor Nelsen
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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