Our Brains Are Bad At Risk Assessment

Our brains are bad at risk assessment and the internet doesn’t help. A couple of weeks ago we talked about the Illusory Truth Effect and today we’re going to take a closer look at how our brain works and processes information.

We think that things we can easily recall are more likely to happen. This is called the Availability Heuristic. It’s why we’re scared of flying and sharks and terrorism, even though we are more likely to be killed by a flying champagne corks or a ladder. We can recall plane crashes and shark attacks because they are more dramatic. And now we can recall them even easier because if we’ve ever clicked on them, the algorithms online are more likely to feed us more information like this.

The internet feeds you more of what’s exciting and attention-grabbing, making us think they are much more common than they really are.

So our brains are bad at risk assessment, what do we do now?

Well, first off, knowing that our brains act this way is a great first step in becoming a better digital citizen. Now we can understand our initial reaction, take a deep breath, and investigate whether it is really warranted or not. That pause between our first emotion, our first thought, and our action can be so powerful. It gives us time to process and reflect to make better decisions.

We also need to understand how the digital tools we use online reinforce some of the worst aspects of our ability to assess risk. The things we can easily recall and, in turn overestimate their likelihood, are often dramatic. We click on them or search for them because we’re curious, and then algorithms built into the digital tools we like to use (like search engines and social media) give us a steady diet of similar information.

Now that we know all this, we can investigate our fears to see how warranted they are. Instead of just feeling and believing. We can take the time to explore whether our initial beliefs are true. We can alter our behaviour online or limit our time online to lessen the impact these digital tools have on our brain and the Availability Heuristic.

Here are some questions to help you explore the Availability Heuristic and how you assess risk:

-What is more dangerous than the thing I’m most frightened of?

-Have you seen information online that sounds threatening or seems scary? How likely is it to impact you or people in your community?

-After doing some research, what are the most dangerous things in your community? For someone your age? How can you limit those risks?

-Who could you talk to in your community to find out what risks are most prevalent? What potential bias could their answers have?

Kermode Education Can Help You Explore This Topic and More!

Contact the Kermode Education team today to see how our eLearning platform can help your kids or your students improve their digital literacy skills.

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