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Cognitive Biases Availability Heuristic
Which Kills More?
Two threats at a time. One is dramatic and unforgettable; the other is dull and easy to ignore. Tap the one you think actually kills more people each year. The figures are approximate, but the direction is real.
1You will see two causes of death side by side.
2Tap the one you believe kills more people per year.
3See the approximate real numbers, then move on.
The concept· Tversky & Kahneman, 1973
Availability Heuristic
The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut where we estimate how likely something is by how easily examples spring to mind. Vivid, dramatic, recently-reported events feel common even when they are rare.
The risks that grab headlines are usually the ones we overprepare for, while the quiet, ordinary dangers that actually harm us go ignored. Misjudged risk steers what we fear, what we insure, and how we vote.