Eric Chudler - Worried?: Science investigates some of life’s common concerns

ADVANCE ACCLAIM

In an artfully crafted expos, Worried? considers a collection of vignettes of the modern world likely to have roused implicit concern. Anyone who has reconsidered ordinarily accepted elements of our existence will find this guide a beacon. The authors ability to weave science and statistics together with clarity cleverly reveal those anxieties which should bubble to the level of our awareness and those which we should not lose sleep over.

Kurt Weaver, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology, Instructor, Human Form and Function Thread & Mind, Brain and Behavior Block, University of Washington School of Medicine

Few of us are able to make sense of the scientific literature for ourselves, but Johnson and Chudler have done the spade work for us; assembling the most reliable findings about the things that worry us all. They apply scientific reasoning to everyday situations in a fun and accessible way. The authors wry tone and winsome humor brought a smile to my face even as I read about things that might kill me some day.

Adam Baker, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota

With new technologies and fads arriving daily, Drs. Johnson and Chudler use the principles of scientific research to investigate common worries ranging from asbestos to microwaves to gluten. As a pediatrician, I frequently encounter parents with these fears. I appreciate the humor and scientific rigor with which they sort through the cacophony of available information to advise us which anxieties are worth our attentionand which are not.

Carrie Nedrud, M.D., Pediatrician

Dont worry. Or, rather, worry sometimes, but only a certain amount, and only if you can do something to control the situation. From airplane crashes to sugar, Worried? walks us through common fears of the contemporary world, providing simple answers to the often challenging question: Should I be worried? Anchored by science and simplified with diagrams, Worried? is an elegant and fun guide to navigate our era of information overload.

Nathan Insel, Ph.D., Department of Psychology and Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience, University of Montana

In Worried?, Dr. Johnson and Dr. Chudler have created an absolutely delightful guidebook to help all of us, from the casually anxious stray-thought worriers to the deeply obsessed safety-checklist warriors, deal with the stressors of the modern world. Rigorously researched, appropriately fact-checked, and uproariously witty, this little tome is a must-have quick reference for that age-old nagging question, How bad is that, really?

Devapratim Sarma, Ph.D., Scientist & Neural Engineer, Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University

Worried ?

Science investigates some of lifes common concerns

LISE JOHNSON
ERIC CHUDLER

Illustrations by KELLY CHUDLER

A NORTON PROFESSIONAL BOOK

This e-book contains some places that ask the reader to fill in questions or comments. Please keep pen and paper handy as you read this e-book so that you can complete the exercises within.

We thank Steve Johnson and Sandy Chudler for their careful reading of this book and for their many helpful comments and suggestions.

F or most of human history, people lived in pretty much the same way. No one was born in a hospital, because there were no hospitals. There was no such thing as organic farming, because there were no synthetic pesticides. Nothing was made of plastic. There were no microwaves or cell phones or airplanes or antibiotics or energy drinks. Not coincidentally, no one worried about these things. There were, of course, lions and tigers and bears, but our relationship to these animals was more straightforward. Overall, the potential threats, while arguably much greater in magnitude, were much easier to identify. But as the ever more numerous miracles of technological innovation continue to improve our lives, they also make it more complicated. Now, not only do we have things we didnt have before, we know things we didnt know before. There are clearly some things to worry about, but what are they? News media, social media, and every mom blog in the world will give you plenty of things to put on your list of worries. At the same time, there are many more places to get information than there have ever been. When these sources conflict, whom should you trust? As we struggle to make healthy and responsible choices for ourselves and our families, all of this ambiguity can be very stressful.

Heres the thing: stress, in and of itself, can cause health problems. Chronic stress can lead to digestive complaints, sleep problems, headaches, depression, irritability, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke. It can also suppress your immune system so that you are frequently ill and make you look haggard and prematurely old. You can treat some of these symptoms with medication, but it would be much better to treat the underlying cause of the problem. Namely, it would be better to stop being so worried. There are a few things that can help. For example, some people find that regular exercise, meditation, or prayer helps them cope. These approaches might help with your stress level, but they dont address the underlying problem, which is that there are lots of potentially dangerous things in the world. But there is another complementary approach you can try, and that is to take control of the situation.

In this case, taking control means critically evaluating potential threats, determining what poses the greatest danger, and prioritizing your actions to minimize adverse outcomes. Knowledge is power. This is a good strategy because a sense of personal control is associated with positive mental health and lower levels of anxiety and depression. At the same time, you will reduce your overall risk of harm. Its a two-for-one deal.

The central task then becomes evaluating potential threats, which can be difficult. The world is a complicated place and becoming more complicated all the time. Unfortunately, evolution did not prepare your brain for the world it lives in. Humans tend to be tribal; we trust members of our own groups more than we trust outsiders. In addition, we are motivated much more strongly by stories than we are by statistics. These features were highly adaptive when most of us lived in small family groups, and they are still important today. But these instincts can also lead us to make bad decisions when they are applied to complex issues. Science is here to help, but only if you understand how to use it.

Science is a tool that helps us to understand why things happen. Further, it helps us predict what will happen in the future. Science is not magic; it is in fact the opposite of magic. There is no mystery about it. Fundamentally, science is a formalized way to evaluate cause-and-effect relationships rigorously. In a way, we are all scientists because babies learn to understand the world through cause and effect. But scientists bring some powerful tools to this fight: controlled experiments and math. A controlled experiment is one that eliminates potential confounds; this allows us to attribute the right cause to the effect. Math, particularly statistics, is how we know whether an effect is likely to be real, or whether we are observing something by mere chance. These points may seem nitpicky, but they allow us to draw appropriate conclusions when our intuitions might otherwise lead us astray. This is not to say that scientists are never wrong. Scientists are people, and people make mistakes and have biases that will sometimes lead to inappropriate conclusions. But the scientific method is a very reliable way to reveal underlying cause-and-effect relationships. If you are skeptical, remember that science is what puts airplanes in the sky, mobile phones in our pockets, and, for most of us, food on our tables.