The tragedy of Air India flight 171 has left many in shock, after the crash killed everyone on board bar one passenger, plus fatalities on the ground. While incidents on this scale are rare, it’s inevitable to feel increased anxiety and fear as a result. Science communicator Dr Hassan Vally puts the risk of plane travel into context.
Notably, our brains evolved to pay attention to threats that are striking or memorable. The risks we faced in primitive times were large, immediate and tangible threats to life. Conversely, the risks we face in the modern world are generally much smaller, less obvious, and play out over the longer term.
The brain that served us well in prehistoric times has essentially remained the same, but the world has completely changed. Therefore, our brains are susceptible to errors in thinking and mental shortcuts called cognitive biases that skew our perception of modern risks. This can lead us to overestimate very small risks, such as plane crashes, while underestimating far more probable dangers, such as chronic diseases.
