Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?

Book excerpt: -In the last twenty years, incidents of crime have declined by 25 percent. -Automobiles of today emit just 1 percent of the pollution that spewed from cars of the 1970s. -The national recycling rate is about 22 percent-seven times the rate of only ten years ago. -The average human life span continues to increase. Given all of these positive trends, why do so many people envision a bleak future for the world? More to the point, why are so many people scaring themselves to death? In this lively and accessible expose, author H. Aaron Cohl reveals how media madness and simple human psychology fuel the fires of paranoia. He demonstrates how alarming headlines ("Breast Cancer Strikes One in Eight Women," U.S. News and World Report) are frequently derived from misunderstood or misquoted statistics ("Breast cancer strikes on in eight women at age 95," National Cancer Institute). Readers will learn the encouraging realities of asbestos, drive-by shootings, and pesticides. Cohl also dispels misconceptions about mad cow disease, the greenhouse effect, and the dangers of air travel. Fresh, funny and informative, Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death? is a perfect antidote to sensationalized headlines of today's newspapers. H. Aaron Cohl has written a book that will put many troubled minds at ease.